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Eagle NestEagle Nest · Photo: Tradewinds · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Richlands · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Richlands than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Richlands gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (79%), then river and rain flooding (18%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1999.

Hurricanes 79%River and rain flooding 18%Tornadoes 1%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in North Carolina · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
12
paid since 1999 · $588K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 21 declared for Onslow County

What stands out about Richlands’ natural hazards

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

Hurricanes: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hurricanes here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 79.2% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way7 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Richlands faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

79%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

18%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Hail Wildfire Winter storms Lightning top 3% Coastal flooding Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Richlands’ grade

Hurricanes are 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Richlands, and Richlands’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 18% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Richlands sits
Richlands
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes79%River and rain flooding18%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Richlands: $1.9M 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 1,769 aid registrations from Richlands addresses (the town has 951 homes) and flood insurance paid 11 claims for $581K.
A small-area figure. Richlands 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 Richlands flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Richlands, from FEMA’s records: 12.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 11 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19992018
19992026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Florence11 claims · $581K
  • Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $7K
12
paid claims since 1999
$588K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$49K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Onslow County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Richlands

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

  1. 2020Hurricane Isaias$20K to the Town of Richlands for repairs
  2. 2018Hurricane Florence1,769 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$143K to the Town of Richlands for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $581K
  3. 2016Hurricane Matthew63 households applied for aid$78K aid approved$22K to the Town of Richlands for repairs
  4. 2011Hurricane Irene153 households applied for aid$193K aid approved$36K to the Town of Richlands for repairs
  5. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds24 households applied for aid$58K aid approved
  6. 2003Hurricane Isabel26 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$19K to the Town of Richlands for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$18K to the Town of Richlands for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $7K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RichlandsOnslow County only

Onslow County has had 21 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Richlands archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Richlands faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Richlands

Is Richlands at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Richlands has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (79%) and river and rain flooding (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Richlands flood?

Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Richlands since 1999, $588K in all, or 12.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (11).

Is Richlands 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 Onslow County, 73% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 6.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Richlands?

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

By FEMA money that reached Richlands, Hurricane Florence (2018): 1,769 households applied for aid, $1.2M approved, and $143K to the Town of Richlands for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 11 paid, $581K.

Is Richlands at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Richlands’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Richlands.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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