FEMA puts New Hope’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Hope gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then hurricanes (42%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 New Hope 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
Hurricanes
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 New Hope’s grade
River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Hope, and New Hope’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 42%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of New Hope’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $880K a year in losses across New Hope: $639K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does New Hope flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in New Hope. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
New Hope isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wayne County.The storms New Hope remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Wayne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching New Hope itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Wayne County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
New Hope and its neighbors
New Hope 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goldsboro | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 621 |
| New Hope | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 New Hope 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.
- 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.
- 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 New Hope
Is New Hope at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Hope has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and hurricanes (42%). 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.
Is New Hope 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 Wayne County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in New Hope?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Hope’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is New Hope at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and New Hope’s rate for it is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Hope.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Hope’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.