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Clinton-Broad-block-scPhoto: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Clinton · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Clinton faces less hazard damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clinton gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #16 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then earthquakes (15%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 58%Earthquakes 15%Tornadoes 9%

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 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#16 of 169 in South Carolina
Hazard risk
A−#16 of 169
in South Carolina · lower than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
58% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 16 declared for Laurens County
By hazard

What Clinton 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

58%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

15%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Lightning Wildfire 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 cold waves at 23% of Clinton’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Clinton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clinton, and Clinton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Clinton sits
Clinton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #16 of 169 in South Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Clinton’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding58%Earthquakes15%Tornadoes9%Everything else18%

The typical South Carolina town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Clinton has less expected damage per building than 91% of South Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.9M a year in losses across Clinton: $1.7M 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 3,453 aid registrations from Clinton addresses (the town has 3,205 homes).
A small-area figure. Clinton covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Clinton flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Clinton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Laurens County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clinton

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene3,453 households applied for aid$2.9M aid approved$3.5M to the City of Clinton for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Storms and Flooding$19K to the City of Clinton for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Ice Storm$51K to the City of Clinton for repairs
  4. 2002Severe Ice Storm$37K to the City of Clinton for repairs
  5. 2000Severe Winter Storm$210K to the City of Clinton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ClintonLaurens County only

Laurens County has had 16 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 Clinton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Clinton archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Clinton 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Clinton

Is Clinton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clinton has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #16 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and earthquakes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Clinton 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 Laurens County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Clinton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Clinton, Hurricane Helene (2024): 3,453 households applied for aid, $2.9M approved, and $3.5M to the City of Clinton for repairs.

Is Clinton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Clinton’s rate for it is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clinton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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