FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Neuse Forest than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Neuse Forest gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #281 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (84%), then river and rain flooding (13%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2010.
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 Neuse Forest faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Neuse Forest’s grade
Hurricanes are 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Neuse Forest, and Neuse Forest’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 1%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #281 of 290 in North Carolina; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Neuse Forest’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Neuse Forest has more expected damage per building than 97% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Neuse Forest: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Neuse Forest flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2010
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Neuse Forest, from FEMA’s records: 7.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Florence6 claims · $165K
Neuse Forest isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Craven County.The storms Neuse Forest remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Craven County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Neuse Forest itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20186 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Florence, declared for Craven County
- 20101 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds, declared for Craven County
Craven County has had 22 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 Neuse Forest after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Neuse Forest archive →Get ready for what Neuse Forest faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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.
- 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 Neuse Forest
Is Neuse Forest at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Neuse Forest has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #281 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (84%) and river and rain flooding (13%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Neuse Forest flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Neuse Forest since 2010, $179K in all, or 7.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (6).
Is Neuse Forest 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 Craven County, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 11.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Neuse Forest?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Neuse Forest’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 Neuse Forest?
By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 6 paid, $165K.
Is Neuse Forest at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Neuse Forest’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Neuse Forest.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Neuse Forest’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.