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Princeton Graded SchoolPrinceton Graded School · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Princeton · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Princeton than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Princeton gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2021.

River and rain flooding 73%Hurricanes 9%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 81%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in North Carolina · lower than 81% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
73% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2021 · $105K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 21 declared for Johnston County

What stands out about Princeton’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way13 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 1 home raised above flood level with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Princeton 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

73%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Winter 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 tornadoes at 19% of Princeton’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (8.1%), 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 Princeton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Princeton, and Princeton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 9% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Princeton sits
Princeton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Princeton’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding73%Hurricanes9%Tornadoes8%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $344K a year in losses across Princeton: $150K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Florence in 2018, FEMA took 67 aid registrations from Princeton addresses (the town has 784 homes).
A small-area figure. Princeton covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Princeton flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2021

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Princeton, from FEMA’s records: 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2021: 2 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2021
20212026
2
paid claims since 2021
$105K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$53K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Johnston County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
13flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Princeton

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

  1. 2018Hurricane Florence67 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$29K to the Town of Princeton for repairs
  2. 2016Hurricane Matthew179 households applied for aid$579K aid approved$44K to the Town of Princeton for repairs
  3. 2011Hurricane Irene7 households applied for aid$7K to the Town of Princeton for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding9 households applied for aid$14K aid approved$5K to the Town of Princeton for repairs
  5. 2003Hurricane Isabel5 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  6. 2002Severe Ice Storm$5K to the Town of Princeton for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$8K to the Town of Princeton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PrincetonJohnston County only

Johnston County has had 21 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 Princeton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Princeton archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Princeton 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 Princeton

Is Princeton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Princeton has lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and hurricanes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Princeton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Princeton since 2021, $105K in all, or 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Princeton 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 Johnston County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Princeton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Princeton, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 179 households applied for aid, $579K approved, and $44K to the Town of Princeton for repairs.

Is Princeton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Princeton’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Princeton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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