China Grove · Photo: Tradewinds · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Stonewall
Stonewall isn’t graded for hazard risk: Stonewall has 131 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 34 claims here since 1999.
What Stonewall faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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.
Does Stonewall flood? Sometimes: 34 flood claims since 1999
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Stonewall, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Florence15 claims · $939K
- Hurricane Irene11 claims · $304K
- Hurricane Isabel4 claims · $25K
Stonewall is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pamlico County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Stonewall
Disasters that paid out in Stonewall itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Stonewall), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Florence27 households applied for aid$41K aid approved15 flood claims paid for it, $939K
- 2011Hurricane Irene46 households applied for aid$160K aid approved11 flood claims paid for it, $304K
- 2003Hurricane Isabel14 households applied for aid$19K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $25K
Pamlico County has had 20 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 Stonewall after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Stonewall archive →Get ready for what Stonewall faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Stonewall residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Stonewall
Does Stonewall flood?
Flood insurance has paid 34 claims in Stonewall since 1999, $1.3M in all. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (15).
Is Stonewall 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 Pamlico County, 63% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 26.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Stonewall?
Stonewall is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% 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 Stonewall?
By FEMA money that reached Stonewall, Hurricane Irene (2011): 46 households applied for aid, $160K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 15 paid, $939K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Stonewall.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Stonewall’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.