USS Yorktown (Cv-10) · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Mount Pleasant faces more hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Pleasant gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #149 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (67%), then river and rain flooding (13%). Flood insurance has paid 1,061 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 Mount Pleasant’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Mount Pleasant 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
Earthquakes
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 Mount Pleasant’s grade
Hurricanes are 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Pleasant, and Mount Pleasant’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 9%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #149 of 169 in South Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mount Pleasant’s residents live in 18 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, Mount Pleasant has more expected damage per building than 88% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $105M a year in losses across Mount Pleasant: $91.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mount Pleasant flood? Yes: 1,061 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mount Pleasant, from FEMA’s records: 23.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Hugo656 claims · $12.7M
- The October severe storms60 claims · $776K
- Hurricane Irma43 claims · $710K
Mount Pleasant is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Charleston County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mount Pleasant
Disasters that paid out in Mount Pleasant itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Mount Pleasant), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved9 flood claims paid that year
- 2023Hurricane Idalia$91K to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $373K
- 2022Hurricane Ian1,321 households applied for aid$67K aid approved$454K to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$429K to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
- 2018Hurricane Florence$303K to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Irma$300K to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs43 flood claims paid for it, $710K
Show all 11
- 2016Hurricane Matthew147 households applied for aid$36K aid approved$1.1M to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs32 flood claims paid for it, $633K
- 2015Severe Storms and Flooding508 households applied for aid$173K aid approved$554K to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs72 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances88 households applied for aid$94K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Gaston$1.0M to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$1.1M to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
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 Mount Pleasant after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mount Pleasant archive →Mount Pleasant and its neighbors
Mount Pleasant is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan's Island | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 670 |
| Mount Pleasant | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 1,061 |
| Charleston | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 5,206 |
| Awendaw | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 6 |
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 Mount Pleasant 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- Mount Pleasant residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Mount Pleasant
Is Mount Pleasant at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Pleasant has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #149 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (67%) and river and rain flooding (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mount Pleasant flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,061 claims in Mount Pleasant since 1979, $17.1M in all, or 23.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 60 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Hugo (656).
Is Mount Pleasant 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 Mount Pleasant?
Mount Pleasant is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% 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 Mount Pleasant?
By FEMA money that reached Mount Pleasant, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 147 households applied for aid, $36K approved, and $1.1M to the Town of Mount Pleasant for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Hugo: 656 paid, $12.7M.
Is Mount Pleasant at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Mount Pleasant’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Pleasant.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mount Pleasant’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.