FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Gantt than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gantt gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #22 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1989.
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 Gantt 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
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
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 Gantt’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gantt, and Gantt’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 6%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #22 of 169 in South Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Gantt’s residents live in 8 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, Gantt has less expected damage per building than 88% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Gantt: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gantt flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gantt, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene5 claims · $77K
- Hurricane Hugo1 claim · $49K
Gantt isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Greenville County.The storms Gantt remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Greenville County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Gantt itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20245 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Helene, declared for Greenville County
- 20204 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for Greenville County
- 19891 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Greenville 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.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Greenville County, 2016–2025.
Old photos of Gantt after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gantt archive →Gantt and its neighbors
Gantt has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gantt | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Greenville | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 112 |
| Dunean | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Gantt 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Gantt
Is Gantt at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gantt has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #22 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and earthquakes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Gantt flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Gantt since 1989, $316K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (5).
Is Gantt 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 Greenville County, 45% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gantt?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gantt’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 Gantt?
By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 5 paid, $77K.
Is Gantt at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Gantt’s rate for it is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gantt.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gantt’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.