Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Greenville
Greenville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Greenville is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2005.
What Greenville 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.
Does Greenville flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2005
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Greenville, from FEMA’s records.
- The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $6K
Greenville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Providence County.The storms Greenville remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Providence County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Greenville itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20051 flood claims paidThe year of Record Snow, declared for Providence County
- 20101 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Providence County
Providence County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Greenville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Greenville archive →Greenville and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glocester | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Smithfield | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Johnston | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 94 |
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 Greenville 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 Greenville
Does Greenville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Greenville since 2005, $10K in all. The most claims came from March 2010 Nor'easter (1).
Is Greenville 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 Providence County, 58% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Greenville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Greenville’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 Greenville?
By flood claims, March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 paid, $6K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Greenville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Greenville’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.