Photo: KKing123 · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in McBee
McBee isn’t graded for hazard risk: McBee has 818 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What McBee 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.
Does McBee flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in McBee. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
McBee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Chesterfield County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to McBee
Disasters that paid out in McBee itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of McBee), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Florence$48K to the Town of McBee for repairs
- 2016Hurricane Matthew3 households applied for aid$8K to the Town of McBee for repairs
- 2000Severe Winter Storm$1K to the Town of McBee for repairs
Chesterfield 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.
Old photos of McBee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the McBee archive →Get ready for what McBee 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 McBee
Is McBee 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 Chesterfield County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in McBee?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for McBee’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 McBee?
By FEMA money that reached McBee, Hurricane Florence (2018): $48K to the Town of McBee for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in McBee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where McBee’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.