Photo: Excel23 · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Central than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Central gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #32 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Central 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
Earthquakes
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 Central’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Central, and Central’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #32 of 169 in South Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Central’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical South Carolina town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Central has less expected damage per building than 82% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Central: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Central flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Central. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Central isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pickens County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Central
Disasters that paid out in Central itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Central), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene1,684 households applied for aid$644K aid approved$214K to the Town of Central for repairs
- 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds23 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
- 2005Severe Ice Storm$21K to the Town of Central for repairs
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances3 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
Pickens County has had 16 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pickens County, 2016–2025.
Old photos of Central after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Central archive →Central and its neighbors
Central 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Clemson | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
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 Central 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Central
Is Central at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Central has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #32 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and earthquakes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Central 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 Pickens County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Central?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Central’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 Central?
By FEMA money that reached Central, Hurricane Helene (2024): 1,684 households applied for aid, $644K approved, and $214K to the Town of Central for repairs.
Is Central at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Central’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Central.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Central’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.