Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to St. Stephens

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in St. Stephens · FEMA

FEMA puts St. Stephens’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Stephens gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #81 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2019.

River and rain flooding 79%Tornadoes 7%Earthquakes 6%

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 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#81 of 290 in North Carolina
Hazard risk
B#81 of 290
in North Carolina · lower than 64% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2019 · $166K
Flood claims per home
2 per 1,000
fewer than 66% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What St. Stephens 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
About average · higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Hurricanes Hail Strong wind Lightning Wildfire Winter storms 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 St. Stephens’ grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Stephens, and St. Stephens’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where St. Stephens sits
St. Stephens
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #81 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

St. Stephens’ residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Tornadoes7%Earthquakes6%Everything else8%

The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, St. Stephens has less expected damage per building than 72% of North Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across St. Stephens: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. St. Stephens covers 5 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 St. Stephens flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2019

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Stephens, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2019: 3 claims2020: 4 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20192020
20192026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Eta1 claim · $18K
7
paid claims since 2019
$166K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$24K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Catawba County.
Disasters

The storms St. Stephens remembers

None of the 17 disasters declared for Catawba County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching St. Stephens itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20204 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Isaias, declared for Catawba County
  2. 20193 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Dorian, declared for Catawba County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in St. StephensCatawba County only

Catawba County has had 17 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 St. Stephens after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the St. Stephens archive →
Next door

St. Stephens and its neighbors

St. Stephens is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hickory: hazard risk B+Conover: hazard risk ABethlehem: hazard risk C+HickoryConoverBethlehemSt. Stephens
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ConoverAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding13
HickoryB+less damage than 69%river and rain flooding42
St. StephensBless damage than 64%river and rain flooding7
BethlehemC+more damage than 60%river and rain flooding1

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. Stephens 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 ↗
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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 St. Stephens

Is St. Stephens at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Stephens has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #81 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does St. Stephens flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in St. Stephens since 2019, $166K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Eta (1).

Is St. Stephens 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 Catawba County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in St. Stephens?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Stephens’ 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 St. Stephens?

By flood claims, Hurricane Eta: 1 paid, $18K.

Is St. Stephens at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and St. Stephens’ rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

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

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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