Cox-Ange House · Photo: Tradewinds · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Winterville faces more hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winterville gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #219 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then hurricanes (41%). Flood insurance has paid 38 claims here since 1999.
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 stands out about Winterville’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Winterville 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
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 Winterville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Winterville, and Winterville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 41%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #219 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Winterville’s residents live in 5 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, Winterville has more expected damage per building than 75% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Winterville: $3.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Winterville flood? Sometimes: 38 flood claims since 1999
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Winterville, from FEMA’s records: 8.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Matthew15 claims · $236K
- Hurricane Irene7 claims · $50K
- Hurricane Florence3 claims · $8K
Winterville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pitt County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Winterville
Disasters that paid out in Winterville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Winterville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Isaias$69K to the Town of Winterville for repairs
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$45K to the Town of Winterville for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence61 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$53K to the Town of Winterville for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $8K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew168 households applied for aid$102K aid approved$115K to the Town of Winterville for repairs15 flood claims paid for it, $236K
- 2011Hurricane Irene224 households applied for aid$103K aid approved$197K to the Town of Winterville for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $50K
- 2003Hurricane Isabel33 households applied for aid$24K aid approved$36K to the Town of Winterville for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $935
Show all 7
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$65K to the Town of Winterville for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
Pitt County has had 22 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 Winterville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Winterville archive →Winterville and its neighbors
Winterville has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winterville | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| Greenville | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 503 |
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 Winterville 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.
- 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 Winterville
Is Winterville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winterville has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #219 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and hurricanes (41%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Winterville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 38 claims in Winterville since 1999, $334K in all, or 8.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (15).
Is Winterville 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 Pitt County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Winterville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Winterville’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 Winterville?
By FEMA money that reached Winterville, Hurricane Irene (2011): 224 households applied for aid, $103K approved, and $197K to the Town of Winterville for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 15 paid, $236K.
Is Winterville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Winterville’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Winterville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Winterville’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.