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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Walnut Creek · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Walnut Creek than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walnut Creek gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%), then hurricanes (41%). Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1999.

River and rain flooding 52%Hurricanes 41%Tornadoes 3%

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 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in North Carolina · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
52% of expected building damage
Flood claims
19
paid since 1999 · $1.0M
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Flood insurance
05% off
Community discount (class 9)
By hazard

What Walnut Creek 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

52%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

41%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Wildfire Lightning 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 Walnut Creek’s grade

River and rain flooding is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Walnut Creek, and Walnut Creek’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 41%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Walnut Creek sits
Walnut Creek
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding52%Hurricanes41%Tornadoes3%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $719K a year in losses across Walnut Creek: $540K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Walnut Creek’s 1,084 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 Walnut Creek flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Walnut Creek, from FEMA’s records: 37.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 3 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 14 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199920162018
19992026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Matthew14 claims · $778K
  • Hurricane Floyd3 claims · $269K
  • Hurricane Florence2 claims · $3K
19
paid claims since 1999
$1.0M
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$55K
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 discount05% off flood insurance

Walnut Creek is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Wayne County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Walnut Creek

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

  1. 2018Hurricane Florence$395K to the Village of Walnut Creek for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $3K
  2. 2016Hurricane Matthew$1.0M to the Village of Walnut Creek for repairs14 flood claims paid for it, $778K
  3. 2011Hurricane Irene$95K to the Village of Walnut Creek for repairs
  4. 2003Hurricane Isabel$60K to the Village of Walnut Creek for repairs
  5. 2002Severe Ice Storm$4K to the Village of Walnut Creek for repairs
  6. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$2.0M to the Village of Walnut Creek for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $269K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Walnut CreekWayne County only

Wayne County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Walnut Creek archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Walnut Creek 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 ↗
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 ↗
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.
  • Walnut Creek residents get 05% 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 Walnut Creek

Is Walnut Creek at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walnut Creek has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%) and hurricanes (41%). 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 Walnut Creek flood?

Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Walnut Creek since 1999, $1.0M in all, or 37.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (14).

Is Walnut Creek 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 Wayne County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Walnut Creek?

Walnut Creek is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% 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 Walnut Creek?

By FEMA money that reached Walnut Creek, Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations (1999): $2.0M to the Village of Walnut Creek for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 14 paid, $778K.

Is Walnut Creek at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Walnut Creek’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Walnut Creek.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Walnut Creek’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.