Mount Pleasant Collegiate Institute Historic District · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Mount Pleasant than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Pleasant gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2020.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Mount Pleasant faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Mount Pleasant’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Pleasant, and Mount Pleasant’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mount Pleasant’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $711K a year in losses across Mount Pleasant: $597K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mount Pleasant flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2020
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mount Pleasant, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Eta1 claim · $40K
Mount Pleasant isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cabarrus County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mount Pleasant
Disasters that paid out in Mount Pleasant itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Mount Pleasant), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Helene23 households applied for aid$16K aid approved
- 2018Hurricane Florence$186K to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs
- 2002Severe Ice Storm$27K to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs
- 2000Severe Winter Storm$1K to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs
Cabarrus County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Mount Pleasant after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mount Pleasant archive →Mount Pleasant and its neighbors
Mount Pleasant is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concord | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Mount Pleasant | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Mount Pleasant faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Mount Pleasant
Is Mount Pleasant at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Pleasant has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and tornadoes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mount Pleasant flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Mount Pleasant since 2020, $40K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Eta (1).
Is Mount Pleasant in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Cabarrus County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mount Pleasant?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mount Pleasant’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Mount Pleasant?
By FEMA money that reached Mount Pleasant, Hurricane Florence (2018): $186K to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Eta: 1 paid, $40K.
Is Mount Pleasant at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Mount Pleasant’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Pleasant.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Pleasant’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.