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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pinetops · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Pinetops faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pinetops gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then hurricanes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 32 claims here since 1989.

River and rain flooding 66%Hurricanes 22%Tornadoes 8%

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 50%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 50% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
32
paid since 1989 · $1.1M
Flooded more than once
3
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 22 declared for Edgecombe County

What stands out about Pinetops’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Moved out of harm’s way104 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 4 homes raised above flood level with FEMA grants.Remembers 199916 flood claims were paid for 1999 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Pinetops 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

66%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Wildfire Lightning 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 strong wind at 11% of Pinetops’ expected losses. Strong wind does little damage to buildings (1.0%), 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 Pinetops’ grade

River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pinetops, and Pinetops’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 22% (higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Pinetops sits
Pinetops
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding66%Hurricanes22%Tornadoes8%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $510K a year in losses across Pinetops: $240K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pinetops’ 1,200 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 Pinetops flood? Sometimes: 32 flood claims since 1989

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pinetops, from FEMA’s records: 46.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 2 claims1999: 16 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 6 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 4 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199920162020
19892026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Floyd16 claims · $633K
  • Hurricane Matthew6 claims · $307K
  • Hurricane Eta4 claims · $92K
32
paid claims since 1989
$1.1M
paid to owners
3
homes flooded more than once
$34K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Edgecombe County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
104flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
4homes raised above flood level
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pinetops

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

  1. 2016Hurricane Matthew217 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$278K to the Town of Pinetops for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $307K
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene67 households applied for aid$82K aid approved$148K to the Town of Pinetops for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $4K
  3. 2003Hurricane Isabel30 households applied for aid$20K aid approved$7K to the Town of Pinetops for repairs
  4. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$153K to the Town of Pinetops for repairs16 flood claims paid for it, $633K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PinetopsEdgecombe County only

Edgecombe 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Pinetops archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Pinetops 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 ↗
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 Pinetops

Is Pinetops at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pinetops has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and hurricanes (22%). 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 Pinetops flood?

Flood insurance has paid 32 claims in Pinetops since 1989, $1.1M in all, or 46.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (16).

Is Pinetops 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 Edgecombe County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pinetops?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pinetops, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 217 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved, and $278K to the Town of Pinetops for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 16 paid, $633K.

Is Pinetops at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Pinetops’ rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pinetops.

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