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Pinebluff, NC Town HallPhoto: Bernardgeorgeh · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pinebluff · FEMA

FEMA puts Pinebluff’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pinebluff gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then hurricanes (23%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 51%Hurricanes 23%Tornadoes 12%

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

less than 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in North Carolina · lower than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
51% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 18 declared for Moore County
By hazard

What Pinebluff 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

51%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Strong wind Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 21% of Pinebluff’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (11.9%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Pinebluff’s grade

River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pinebluff, and Pinebluff’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 6%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pinebluff sits
Pinebluff
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Pinebluff’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding51%Hurricanes23%Tornadoes12%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $366K a year in losses across Pinebluff: $245K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pinebluff’s 1,473 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Pinebluff flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pinebluff. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Pinebluff isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Moore County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pinebluff

Disasters that paid out in Pinebluff itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Pinebluff), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2018Hurricane Florence24 households applied for aid$30K aid approved$167K to the Town of Pinebluff for repairs
  2. 2016Hurricane Matthew20 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$59K to the Town of Pinebluff for repairs
  3. 2002Severe Ice Storm$34K to the Town of Pinebluff for repairs
  4. 2000Severe Winter Storm$42K to the Town of Pinebluff for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PinebluffMoore County only

Moore County has had 18 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Pinebluff after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pinebluff archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Pinebluff faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Pinebluff

Is Pinebluff at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pinebluff has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and hurricanes (23%). 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 Pinebluff 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 Moore County, 51% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pinebluff?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pinebluff’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 Pinebluff?

By FEMA money that reached Pinebluff, Hurricane Florence (2018): 24 households applied for aid, $30K approved, and $167K to the Town of Pinebluff for repairs.

Is Pinebluff at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Pinebluff’s rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pinebluff.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pinebluff’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.