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Ehrhardt, SC - 49741322216Photo: mogollon_1 · CC BY 2.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Ehrhardt · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Ehrhardt

Ehrhardt isn’t graded for hazard risk: Ehrhardt has 389 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
12
of 18 declared for Bamberg County
By hazard

What Ehrhardt faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

62%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

24%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Earthquakes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Wildfire Ice storms Hail 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 hail at 8% of Ehrhardt’s expected losses. Hail does little damage to buildings (0.3%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Ehrhardt flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ehrhardt. 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

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

Insurance rates: Bamberg County.
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ehrhardt

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene135 households applied for aid$135K aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$135K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
  3. 2016Hurricane Matthew16 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$20K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
  4. 2015Severe Storms and Flooding47 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$3K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
  5. 2014Severe Winter Storm$4K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides$3K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
Show all 12
  1. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$2K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
  2. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$23K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
  3. 2003Snow$16K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$13K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
  5. 2002Severe Winter Cold and Frost$23K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
  6. 2001Snow$13K to the Town of Ehrhardt for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EhrhardtBamberg County only

Bamberg 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 Ehrhardt after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Ehrhardt archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ehrhardt faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 Ehrhardt

Is Ehrhardt 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 Bamberg County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ehrhardt?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ehrhardt, Hurricane Helene (2024): 135 households applied for aid, $135K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ehrhardt.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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