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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Chapin · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Chapin faces less hazard damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chapin gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then hurricanes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2015.

River and rain flooding 53%Hurricanes 17%Tornadoes 14%

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 73%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 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
53% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2015 · $13K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 17 declared for Lexington County
By hazard

What Chapin 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

53%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Hail Strong wind Wildfire Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 26% of Chapin’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (14.2%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Chapin’s grade

River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chapin, and Chapin’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Chapin sits
Chapin
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding53%Hurricanes17%Tornadoes14%Everything else15%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $639K a year in losses across Chapin: $433K 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 1,362 aid registrations from Chapin addresses (the town has 614 homes).
Shared tract.All of Chapin’s 1,809 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 Chapin flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2015

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chapin, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2015
20152026
Biggest named events
  • The October severe storms1 claim · $13K
1
paid claims since 2015
$13K
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

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

Insurance rates: Lexington County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chapin

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene1,362 households applied for aid$377K aid approved$52K to the Town of Chapin for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Storms and Flooding157 households applied for aid$84K aid approved$25K to the Town of Chapin for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ChapinLexington County only

Lexington County has had 17 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Chapin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Chapin archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Chapin 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Chapin

Is Chapin at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chapin has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and hurricanes (17%). 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 Chapin flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Chapin since 2015, $13K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from October severe storms (1).

Is Chapin 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 Lexington County, 67% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Chapin?

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

By FEMA money that reached Chapin, Hurricane Helene (2024): 1,362 households applied for aid, $377K approved, and $52K to the Town of Chapin for repairs. By flood claims, October severe storms: 1 paid, $13K.

Is Chapin at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Chapin’s rate for it is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chapin.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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