FEMA puts Walkertown’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walkertown gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #95 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). 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 Walkertown 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
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 Walkertown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Walkertown, and Walkertown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B #95 of 290 in North Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Walkertown’s residents live in 7 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, Walkertown has less expected damage per building than 67% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Walkertown: $994K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Walkertown flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Walkertown. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Walkertown 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Walkertown
Disasters that paid out in Walkertown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Walkertown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Helene11 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
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 Walkertown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Walkertown archive →Walkertown and its neighbors
Walkertown has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walkertown | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Kernersville | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| 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 Walkertown 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.
- 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 Walkertown
Is Walkertown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walkertown has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #95 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and tornadoes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Walkertown 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 Walkertown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Walkertown’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 Walkertown?
By FEMA money that reached Walkertown, Tropical Storm Helene (2024): 11 households applied for aid, $13K approved.
Is Walkertown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Walkertown’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Walkertown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Walkertown’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.