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BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Great Falls · FEMA

For ice storms, Great Falls’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Great Falls gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1989.

River and rain flooding 71%Tornadoes 12%Earthquakes 8%

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 62%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in South Carolina · lower than 62% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
71% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1989 · $8K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 17 declared for Chester County
By hazard

What Great Falls 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

71%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Hail Wildfire 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 tornadoes at 24% of Great Falls’ expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (11.9%), 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 Great Falls’ grade

River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Great Falls, and Great Falls’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Great Falls sits
Great Falls
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding71%Tornadoes12%Earthquakes8%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $621K a year in losses across Great Falls: $396K 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 366 aid registrations from Great Falls addresses (the town has 881 homes).
Shared tract.All of Great Falls’ 1,951 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Great Falls flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1989

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Great Falls, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 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 claims1989
19892026
1
paid claims since 1989
$8K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Chester County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Great Falls

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene366 households applied for aid$861K aid approved$13K to the Town of Great Falls for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Storms and Flooding9 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  3. 2004Tropical Storm Frances6 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Great FallsChester County only

Chester County has had 17 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 Great Falls after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Great Falls archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Great Falls 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 ↗
Ice storms
  • 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.
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 Great Falls

Is Great Falls at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Great Falls has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (12%). 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 Great Falls flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Great Falls since 1989, $8K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Great Falls 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 Chester County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Great Falls?

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

By FEMA money that reached Great Falls, Hurricane Helene (2024): 366 households applied for aid, $861K approved, and $13K to the Town of Great Falls for repairs.

Is Great Falls at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Great Falls’ rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Great Falls.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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