Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0For ice storms, Gaffney’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gaffney gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #58 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2013.
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
What Gaffney 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Ice storms
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.
What’s behind Gaffney’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gaffney, and Gaffney’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B #58 of 169 in South Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Gaffney’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical South Carolina town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Gaffney has less expected damage per building than 66% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.8M a year in losses across Gaffney: $3.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gaffney flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gaffney, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Gaffney isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cherokee County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gaffney
Disasters that paid out in Gaffney itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Gaffney), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene7,457 households applied for aid$4.3M aid approved$408K to the City of Gaffney for repairs
- 2005Severe Ice Storm$114K to the City of Gaffney for repairs
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances14 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
- 2002Severe Ice Storm$119K to the City of Gaffney for repairs
- 2000Severe Winter Storm$6K to the City of Gaffney for repairs
Cherokee 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.
Old photos of Gaffney after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gaffney archive →Gaffney and its neighbors
Gaffney has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaffney | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| East Gaffney | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | — |
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.
Get ready for what Gaffney faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Gaffney
Is Gaffney at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gaffney has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #58 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Gaffney flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Gaffney since 2013, $3K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Gaffney 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 Cherokee County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gaffney?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gaffney’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 Gaffney?
By FEMA money that reached Gaffney, Hurricane Helene (2024): 7,457 households applied for aid, $4.3M approved, and $408K to the City of Gaffney for repairs.
Is Gaffney at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Gaffney’s rate for it is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gaffney.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gaffney’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.