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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in St. James · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in St. James than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. James gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #266 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (75%), then river and rain flooding (20%). Flood insurance has paid 90 claims here since 1999.

Hurricanes 75%River and rain flooding 20%Coastal flooding 2%

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 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#266 of 290 in North Carolina
Hazard risk
D−#266 of 290
in North Carolina · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
90
paid since 1999 · $982K
Flooded more than once
9
properties
Flood insurance
15% off
Community discount (class 7)

What stands out about St. James’ natural hazards

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

15% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns St. James residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7).Coastal flooding: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 1.7% of the damage it expects.Remembers 201845 flood claims were paid for 2018 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What St. James faces

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

Hurricanes

75%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

River and rain flooding

20%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Coastal flooding top 3% Wildfire Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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 St. James’ grade

Hurricanes are 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. James, and St. James’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where St. James sits
St. James
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #266 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes75%River and rain flooding20%Everything else5%

The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, St. James has more expected damage per building than 92% of North Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.8M a year in losses across St. James: $9.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of St. James’ 6,529 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 St. James flood? Sometimes: 90 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. James, from FEMA’s records: 20.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% 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: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 45 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 22 claims2021: 2 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 15 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201820202024
19992026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Florence44 claims · $402K
  • Hurricane Isaias22 claims · $190K
  • Tropical Cyclone Eight15 claims · $303K
90
paid claims since 1999
$982K
paid to owners
9
homes flooded more than once
$11K
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
Community discount15% off flood insurance

St. James is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Brunswick County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. James

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

  1. 2019Hurricane Dorian$37K to the Town of St. James for repairs
  2. 2018Hurricane Florence$449K to the Town of St. James for repairs44 flood claims paid for it, $402K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in St. JamesBrunswick County only

Brunswick County has had 25 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Brunswick County, 2025–2025.

Were you here?

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

Add to the St. James archive →
Next door

St. James and its neighbors

St. James is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Oak Island: hazard risk D−Oak IslandSt. James
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Oak IslandD−more damage than 97%hurricanes912
St. JamesD−more damage than 98%hurricanes90

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what St. James 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.
  • St. James residents get 15% off flood insurance.
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 St. James

Is St. James at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. James has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #266 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (75%) and river and rain flooding (20%). 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 St. James flood?

Flood insurance has paid 90 claims in St. James since 1999, $982K in all, or 20.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (44).

Is St. James 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 Brunswick County, 78% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 21.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in St. James?

St. James is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in St. James?

By FEMA money that reached St. James, Hurricane Florence (2018): $449K to the Town of St. James for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 44 paid, $402K.

Is St. James at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and St. James’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. James.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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