FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Summerfield as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Summerfield gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #149 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). 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 Summerfield 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
Hurricanes
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 Summerfield’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Summerfield, and Summerfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 6% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #149 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Summerfield’s residents live in 6 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, Summerfield has more expected damage per building than 51% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Summerfield: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Summerfield flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Summerfield. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Summerfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Guilford County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Summerfield
Disasters that paid out in Summerfield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Summerfield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Hurricane Ivan1 households applied for aid$589 aid approved
Guilford County has had 24 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 Summerfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Summerfield archive →Summerfield and its neighbors
Summerfield is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stokesdale | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oak Ridge | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Greensboro | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 363 |
| Summerfield | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Summerfield 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.
- 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.
- 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 Summerfield
Is Summerfield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Summerfield has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #149 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hurricanes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Summerfield 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 Guilford County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Summerfield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Summerfield’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 Summerfield?
By FEMA money that reached Summerfield, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 1 households applied for aid, $589 approved.
Is Summerfield at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Summerfield’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Summerfield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Summerfield’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.