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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Princeville · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Princeville than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Princeville gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 123 claims here since 1999.

River and rain flooding 79%Hurricanes 13%Tornadoes 5%

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

more than 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in North Carolina · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
123
paid since 1999 · $9.6M
Disasters paid out here
4
of 22 declared for Edgecombe County

What stands out about Princeville’s natural hazards

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

123 paid flood claims since 1999$9.6M in all. More per home than 98% of U.S. towns.Moved out of harm’s way83 homes raised above flood level; 17 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 2016116 flood claims were paid for 2016 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Princeville 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

79%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Princeville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Princeville, and Princeville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Princeville sits
Princeville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Hurricanes13%Tornadoes5%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $638K a year in losses across Princeville: $427K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Princeville’s 1,254 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 Princeville flood? Yes: 123 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Princeville, from FEMA’s records: 170.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 5 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 116 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199920062016
19992026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Matthew116 claims · $9.4M
  • Hurricane Floyd5 claims · $256K
  • Tropical Storm Ernesto1 claim · $1K
123
paid claims since 1999
$9.6M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$78K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Princeville 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
83homes raised above flood level
17flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Princeville

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

  1. 2016Hurricane Matthew656 households applied for aid$3.7M aid approved$2.4M to the Town of Princeville for repairs116 flood claims paid for it, $9.4M
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene129 households applied for aid$47K aid approved$11K to the Town of Princeville for repairs
  3. 2003Hurricane Isabel2 households applied for aid$6K to the Town of Princeville for repairs
  4. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$1.4M to the Town of Princeville for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $256K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PrincevilleEdgecombe 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 Princeville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Princeville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Princeville 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 ↗
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 Princeville

Is Princeville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Princeville has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and hurricanes (13%). 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 Princeville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 123 claims in Princeville since 1999, $9.6M in all, or 170.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (116).

Is Princeville 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 Princeville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Princeville, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 656 households applied for aid, $3.7M approved, and $2.4M to the Town of Princeville for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 116 paid, $9.4M.

Is Princeville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Princeville’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Princeville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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