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Virginia Durant Young house, Fairfax, SC, USPhoto: Jud McCranie · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Fairfax · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Fairfax than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfax gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (61%), then river and rain flooding (22%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2023.

Hurricanes 61%River and rain flooding 22%Earthquakes 10%

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

more than 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in South Carolina · higher than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
61% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2023 · $278K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 15 declared for Allendale County
By hazard

What Fairfax faces

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

Hurricanes

61%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

22%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Wildfire Strong wind Hail Lightning top 5% 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 heat waves at 10% of Fairfax’s expected losses. Heat 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 Fairfax’s grade

Hurricanes are 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairfax, and Fairfax’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 22% (lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Fairfax sits
Fairfax
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes61%River and rain flooding22%Earthquakes10%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Fairfax: $887K 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 655 aid registrations from Fairfax addresses (the town has 1,000 homes).
Shared tract.All of Fairfax’s 1,505 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Sycamore town (147 residents) and Ulmer town (65 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Fairfax flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2023

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fairfax, from FEMA’s records: 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2023: 1 claim2024: 1 claim2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims202320242025
20232026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Idalia1 claim · $203K
3
paid claims since 2023
$278K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$93K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Allendale County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fairfax

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene655 households applied for aid$593K aid approved$23K to the Town of Fairfax for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2016Hurricane Matthew71 households applied for aid$29K aid approved$11K to the Town of Fairfax for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FairfaxAllendale County only

Allendale County has had 15 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 Fairfax after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Fairfax archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Fairfax 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 Fairfax

Is Fairfax at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfax has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (61%) and river and rain flooding (22%). 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 Fairfax flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Fairfax since 2023, $278K in all, or 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Idalia (1).

Is Fairfax 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 Allendale County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Fairfax?

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

By FEMA money that reached Fairfax, Hurricane Helene (2024): 655 households applied for aid, $593K approved, and $23K to the Town of Fairfax for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Idalia: 1 paid, $203K.

Is Fairfax at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Fairfax’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairfax.

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