Stono River Slave Rebellion Site · Photo: ProfReader · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Hollywood than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hollywood gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #152 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (62%), then earthquakes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 2015.
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 Hollywood’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Hollywood 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
Coastal 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 Hollywood’s grade
Hurricanes are 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hollywood, and Hollywood’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 6%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #152 of 169 in South Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hollywood’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, Hollywood has more expected damage per building than 90% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.9M a year in losses across Hollywood: $4.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hollywood flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 2015
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hollywood, from FEMA’s records: 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Matthew9 claims · $189K
- Hurricane Irma3 claims · $8K
- The October severe storms2 claims · $46K
Hollywood is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Charleston County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hollywood
Disasters that paid out in Hollywood itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Hollywood), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Hurricane Ian62 households applied for aid$42K aid approved$13K to the Town of Hollywood for repairs
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$208K to the Town of Hollywood for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma$23K to the Town of Hollywood for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $8K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew187 households applied for aid$119K aid approved9 flood claims paid for it, $189K
- 2015Severe Storms and Flooding572 households applied for aid$274K aid approved$44K to the Town of Hollywood for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances124 households applied for aid$95K aid approved
Charleston 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 Hollywood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hollywood archive →Hollywood and its neighbors
Hollywood is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravenel | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | — |
| Charleston | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 5,206 |
| Hollywood | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 14 |
| Meggett | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 19 |
| Adams Run | — | 469 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Hollywood 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- Hollywood 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 Hollywood
Is Hollywood at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hollywood has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #152 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (62%) and earthquakes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Hollywood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Hollywood since 2015, $243K in all, or 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (9).
Is Hollywood 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 Charleston County, 78% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 31.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hollywood?
Hollywood 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 Hollywood?
By FEMA money that reached Hollywood, Severe Storms and Flooding (2015): 572 households applied for aid, $274K approved, and $44K to the Town of Hollywood for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 9 paid, $189K.
Is Hollywood at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Hollywood’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hollywood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hollywood’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.