Rural Hall Depot · Photo: Ceh2624 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Rural Hall’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rural Hall gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #12 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Rural Hall 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
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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.
What’s behind Rural Hall’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rural Hall, and Rural Hall’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #12 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rural Hall’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Rural Hall has less expected damage per building than 96% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $927K a year in losses across Rural Hall: $791K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rural Hall flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rural Hall. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Rural Hall isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Forsyth County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rural Hall
Disasters that paid out in Rural Hall itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Rural Hall), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Helene22 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2003Ice Storm$21K to the Town of Rural Hall for repairs
Forsyth 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.
Old photos of Rural Hall after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rural Hall archive →Rural Hall and its neighbors
Rural Hall has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Hall | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Winston-Salem | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 250 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Rural Hall faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Rural Hall
Is Rural Hall at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rural Hall has lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #12 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Rural Hall 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 Forsyth County, 45% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rural Hall?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rural Hall’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 Rural Hall?
By FEMA money that reached Rural Hall, Ice Storm (2003): $21K to the Town of Rural Hall for repairs.
Is Rural Hall at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Rural Hall’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rural Hall.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rural Hall’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.