Photo: Laura Blankenship · CC BY-SA 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Litchfield Beach than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Litchfield Beach gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #160 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (80%). Flood insurance has paid 309 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 stands out about Litchfield Beach’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Litchfield Beach faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
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 Litchfield Beach’s grade
Hurricanes are 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Litchfield Beach, and Litchfield Beach’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 8%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #160 of 169 in South Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Litchfield Beach’s residents live in 3 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, Litchfield Beach has more expected damage per building than 95% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $16.1M a year in losses across Litchfield Beach: $14.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Litchfield Beach flood? Yes: 309 flood claims since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Litchfield Beach, from FEMA’s records: 44.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ian137 claims · $6.5M
- Hurricane Matthew99 claims · $2.2M
- Hurricane Hugo15 claims · $226K
Litchfield Beach isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Georgetown County.The storms Litchfield Beach remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Georgetown County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Litchfield Beach itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2022139 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Ian, declared for Georgetown County
- 201699 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Matthew, declared for Georgetown County
- 198915 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Hugo, declared for Georgetown County
Georgetown County has had 19 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 Litchfield Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Litchfield Beach archive →Get ready for what Litchfield Beach 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Litchfield Beach
Is Litchfield Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Litchfield Beach has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #160 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (80%) and river and rain flooding (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Litchfield Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 309 claims in Litchfield Beach since 1989, $10.7M in all, or 44.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (137).
Is Litchfield Beach 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 Georgetown County, 20.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Litchfield Beach?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Litchfield Beach’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 Litchfield Beach?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 137 paid, $6.5M.
Is Litchfield Beach at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Litchfield Beach’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Litchfield Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Litchfield Beach’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.