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Blackville SCPhoto: Evanoco · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Blackville · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Blackville as in the typical U.S. town, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blackville gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (38%), then hurricanes (37%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2020.

River and rain flooding 38%Hurricanes 37%Earthquakes 13%

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

less than 50%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in South Carolina · lower than 50% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
38% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2020 · $25K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 18 declared for Barnwell County
By hazard

What Blackville 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

38%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Hurricanes

37%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Earthquakes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Lightning top 0% Strong wind Hail Wildfire Ice storms Winter storms 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 Blackville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 38% of the building damage FEMA expects in Blackville, and Blackville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Lightning adds 2%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Blackville sits
Blackville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding38%Hurricanes37%Earthquakes13%Everything else13%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $813K a year in losses across Blackville: $534K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Helene in 2024, FEMA took 626 aid registrations from Blackville addresses (the town has 1,051 homes).
Shared tract.All of Blackville’s 1,923 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 Blackville flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2020

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Blackville, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20202024
20202026
2
paid claims since 2020
$25K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$13K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Blackville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Barnwell County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Blackville

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene626 households applied for aid$671K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds32 households applied for aid$53K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2016Hurricane Matthew39 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  4. 2015Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  5. 2014Severe Winter Storm$3K to the Town of Blackville for repairs
  6. 2004Severe Ice Storm$11K to the Town of Blackville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BlackvilleBarnwell County only

Barnwell County has had 18 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 Blackville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Blackville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Blackville 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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.
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 Blackville

Is Blackville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blackville has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (38%) and hurricanes (37%). 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 Blackville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Blackville since 2020, $25K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Blackville 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 Barnwell County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Blackville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Blackville’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 Blackville?

By FEMA money that reached Blackville, Hurricane Helene (2024): 626 households applied for aid, $671K approved.

Is Blackville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (38%), and Blackville’s rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Blackville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Blackville’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.