Bentonville Battleground State Historic Site · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Newton Grove
Newton Grove isn’t graded for hazard risk: Newton Grove has 498 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2016.
What Newton Grove 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
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.
Does Newton Grove flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2016
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Newton Grove, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Matthew2 claims · $197K
- Hurricane Florence2 claims · $95K
Newton Grove isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sampson County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Newton Grove
Disasters that paid out in Newton Grove itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Newton Grove), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Florence126 households applied for aid$84K aid approved$79K to the Town of Newton Grove for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $95K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew154 households applied for aid$87K aid approved$118K to the Town of Newton Grove for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $197K
- 2011Hurricane Irene3 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding11 households applied for aid$367 aid approved
- 2003Hurricane Isabel22 households applied for aid$29K aid approved
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$1K to the Town of Newton Grove for repairs
Sampson County has had 19 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.
Old photos of Newton Grove after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Newton Grove archive →Get ready for what Newton Grove 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.
- 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 Newton Grove
Does Newton Grove flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Newton Grove since 2016, $292K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (2).
Is Newton Grove 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 Sampson County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Newton Grove?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Newton Grove’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 Newton Grove?
By FEMA money that reached Newton Grove, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 154 households applied for aid, $87K approved, and $118K to the Town of Newton Grove for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 2 paid, $197K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newton Grove.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Newton Grove’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.