FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Hanahan than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hanahan gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #155 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (63%), then earthquakes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 187 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Hanahan’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Hanahan faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Hanahan’s grade
Hurricanes are 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hanahan, and Hanahan’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 1%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #155 of 169 in South Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hanahan’s residents live in 7 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, Hanahan has more expected damage per building than 92% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $21.1M a year in losses across Hanahan: $16.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hanahan flood? Yes: 187 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hanahan, from FEMA’s records: 21.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Matthew61 claims · $2.3M
- The October severe storms30 claims · $321K
- Hurricane Irma17 claims · $381K
Hanahan is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Berkeley County.12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hanahan
Disasters that paid out in Hanahan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Hanahan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Tropical Storm Debby$123K to the City of Hanahan for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2023Hurricane Idalia$32K to the City of Hanahan for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2022Hurricane Ian$114K to the City of Hanahan for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $9K
- 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds6 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$183K to the City of Hanahan for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence$89K to the City of Hanahan for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 12
- 2017Hurricane Irma$48K to the City of Hanahan for repairs17 flood claims paid for it, $381K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew105 households applied for aid$66K aid approved$180K to the City of Hanahan for repairs61 flood claims paid for it, $2.3M
- 2015Severe Storms and Flooding241 households applied for aid$182K aid approved$19K to the City of Hanahan for repairs36 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Gaston$22K to the City of Hanahan for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$23K to the City of Hanahan for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Berkeley 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.
Old photos of Hanahan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hanahan archive →Hanahan and its neighbors
Hanahan is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goose Creek | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 57 |
| Charleston | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 5,206 |
| North Charleston | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 420 |
| Hanahan | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 187 |
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 Hanahan faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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.
- Hanahan residents get 20% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Hanahan
Is Hanahan at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hanahan has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #155 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (63%) and earthquakes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Hanahan flood?
Flood insurance has paid 187 claims in Hanahan since 1979, $3.5M in all, or 21.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 38 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (61).
Is Hanahan 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 Berkeley County, 82% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 7.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hanahan?
Hanahan is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Hanahan?
By FEMA money that reached Hanahan, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 105 households applied for aid, $66K approved, and $180K to the City of Hanahan for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 61 paid, $2.3M.
Is Hanahan at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Hanahan’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hanahan.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hanahan’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.