Photo: Cubby61 · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in White Lake
White Lake isn’t graded for hazard risk: White Lake has 970 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1999.
What White Lake 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 White Lake flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1999
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in White Lake, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Matthew3 claims · $101K
- Hurricane Florence3 claims · $82K
- Hurricane Floyd3 claims · $28K
White Lake isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bladen County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to White Lake
Disasters that paid out in White Lake itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of White Lake), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$7K to the Town of White Lake for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence12 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$143K to the Town of White Lake for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $82K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew16 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$372K to the Town of White Lake for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $101K
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances2 households applied for aid$919 aid approved
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$56K to the Town of White Lake for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $28K
Bladen County has had 20 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Bladen County, 2011–2011.
Old photos of White Lake after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the White Lake archive →Get ready for what White Lake 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in White Lake
Does White Lake flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in White Lake since 1999, $212K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (3).
Is White Lake 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 Bladen County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in White Lake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for White Lake’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 White Lake?
By FEMA money that reached White Lake, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 16 households applied for aid, $8K approved, and $372K to the Town of White Lake for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 3 paid, $101K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in White Lake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where White Lake’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.