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Duncan-Main-St-scPhoto: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Duncan · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Duncan faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Duncan gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #82 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2002.

River and rain flooding 78%Earthquakes 8%Ice storms 5%

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 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#82 of 169 in South Carolina
Hazard risk
B#82 of 169
in South Carolina · lower than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2002 · $757
Disasters paid out here
4
of 18 declared for Spartanburg County
By hazard

What Duncan 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

78%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 4% Tornadoes Hurricanes Hail Strong wind Lightning Wildfire 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 Duncan’s grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Duncan, and Duncan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Duncan sits
Duncan
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #82 of 169 in South Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Duncan’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Earthquakes8%Ice storms5%Everything else9%

The typical South Carolina town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Duncan has less expected damage per building than 52% of South Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Duncan: $1.2M 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 4,254 aid registrations from Duncan addresses (the town has 2,054 homes).
A small-area figure. Duncan covers 5 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 Duncan flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2002

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Duncan, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2002
20022026
1
paid claims since 2002
$757
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$757
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Spartanburg County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Duncan

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene4,254 households applied for aid$2.8M aid approved$363K to the Town of Duncan for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  3. 2005Severe Ice Storm$27K to the Town of Duncan for repairs
  4. 2002Severe Ice Storm$5K to the Town of Duncan for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DuncanSpartanburg County only

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

Add to the Duncan archive →
Next door

Duncan and its neighbors

Duncan is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lyman: hazard risk BStartex: not gradedGreer: hazard risk BWellford: hazard risk BLymanStartexGreerWellfordDuncan
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GreerBless damage than 63%river and rain flooding3
LymanBless damage than 61%river and rain flooding—
WellfordBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding—
DuncanBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding1
Startex—668 residents; we grade 1,000+

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Duncan 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 ↗
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 Duncan

Is Duncan at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Duncan has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #82 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and earthquakes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Duncan flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Duncan since 2002, $757 in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Duncan 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 Spartanburg County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Duncan?

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

By FEMA money that reached Duncan, Hurricane Helene (2024): 4,254 households applied for aid, $2.8M approved, and $363K to the Town of Duncan for repairs.

Is Duncan at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Duncan’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Duncan.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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