FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Langley than in 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Langley gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then hurricanes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Langley 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
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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 Langley’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Langley, and Langley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 14% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Langley’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $398K a year in losses across Langley: $318K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Langley flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Langley. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Langley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Aiken County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Langley
Disasters that paid out in Langley itself (aid to households or repair grants to Langley), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene33 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
Aiken County has had 16 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 Langley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Langley archive →Langley and its neighbors
Langley is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnettown | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Langley | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Gloverville | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Langley 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Langley
Is Langley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Langley has lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and hurricanes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Langley 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 Aiken County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Langley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Langley’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 Langley?
By FEMA money that reached Langley, Hurricane Helene (2024): 33 households applied for aid, $24K approved.
Is Langley at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Langley’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Langley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Langley’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.