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BroadwayAtTheBeach1Photo: w:User:Isipeoria · CC BY-SA 3.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Myrtle Beach · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Myrtle Beach faces more hazard damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Myrtle Beach gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #136 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (83%). Flood insurance has paid 850 claims here since 1978.

Hurricanes 83%River and rain flooding 9%Earthquakes 4%

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

more than 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#136 of 169 in South Carolina
Hazard risk
D#136 of 169
in South Carolina · higher than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
83% of expected building damage
Flood claims
850
paid since 1978 · $40.2M
Flooded more than once
50
properties · 7 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
25% off
Community discount (class 5)

What stands out about Myrtle Beach’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

850 paid flood claims since 1978$40.2M in all; 50 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 90% of U.S. towns.25% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Myrtle Beach residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5).Hurricanes: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hurricanes here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 83.3% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants62 buildings retrofitted against wind; 1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared; 1 home raised above flood level with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Myrtle 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

83%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

9%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Ice storms Coastal flooding Lightning top 2% Strong wind Wildfire Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Myrtle Beach’s grade

Hurricanes are 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Myrtle Beach, and Myrtle Beach’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 9% (lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Myrtle Beach sits
Myrtle Beach
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #136 of 169 in South Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Myrtle Beach’s residents live in 15 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes83%River and rain flooding9%Earthquakes4%Everything else3%

The typical South Carolina town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Myrtle Beach has more expected damage per building than 80% of South Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $41.1M a year in losses across Myrtle Beach: $36.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Florence in 2018, FEMA took 1,737 aid registrations from Myrtle Beach addresses (the town has 24,419 homes).
A firm figure. It combines 15 census tracts by where Myrtle Beach’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Myrtle Beach flood? Yes: 850 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Myrtle Beach, from FEMA’s records: 34.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 13 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 5 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 3 claims1986: 19 claims1987: 14 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 336 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 5 claims1993: 8 claims1994: 18 claims1995: 2 claims1996: 23 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 21 claims1999: 175 claims2000: 24 claims2001: 6 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 5 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 4 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 74 claims2016: 32 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 13 claims2019: 6 claims2020: 3 claims2021: 3 claims2022: 27 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 2 claims2026: 0 claims198919992015
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Hugo332 claims · $27.2M
  • Hurricane Floyd155 claims · $3.8M
  • The October severe storms73 claims · $1.2M
850
paid claims since 1978
$40.2M
paid to owners
50
homes flooded more than once
$47K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (7)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
Community discount25% off flood insurance

Myrtle Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Horry County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
62buildings retrofitted against wind
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Myrtle Beach

Disasters that paid out in Myrtle Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Myrtle Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene17 households applied for aid$2K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2022Hurricane Ian839 households applied for aid$207K aid approved$672K to the City of Myrtle Beach for repairs23 flood claims paid for it, $3.4M
  3. 2019Hurricane Dorian$243K to the City of Myrtle Beach for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2018Hurricane Florence1,737 households applied for aid$4.8M aid approved$199K to the City of Myrtle Beach for repairs13 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2017Hurricane Irma$25K to the City of Myrtle Beach for repairs
  6. 2016Hurricane Matthew1,894 households applied for aid$2.7M aid approved$2.9M to the City of Myrtle Beach for repairs25 flood claims paid for it, $1.3M
Show all 11
  1. 2015Severe Storms and Flooding1,344 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$63K to the City of Myrtle Beach for repairs74 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2014Severe Winter Storm$257K to the City of Myrtle Beach for repairs
  3. 2004Tropical Storm Frances48 households applied for aid$61K aid approved
  4. 2004Hurricane Charley$256K to the City of Myrtle Beach for repairs
  5. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$667K to the City of Myrtle Beach for repairs155 flood claims paid for it, $3.8M
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Myrtle BeachHorry County only

Horry County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Horry County, 2001–2025.

Were you here?

Old photos of Myrtle Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Myrtle Beach archive →
Next door

Myrtle Beach and its neighbors

Myrtle Beach has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Socastee: hazard risk D−North Myrtle Beach: hazard risk D−SocasteeNorth Myrtle BeachMyrtle Beach
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Myrtle BeachDmore damage than 94%hurricanes850
SocasteeD−more damage than 95%hurricanes523
North Myrtle BeachD−more damage than 96%hurricanes2,847

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Myrtle 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.

Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
  • Myrtle Beach residents get 25% off flood insurance.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Myrtle Beach

Is Myrtle Beach at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Myrtle Beach has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #136 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (83%) and river and rain flooding (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Myrtle Beach flood?

Flood insurance has paid 850 claims in Myrtle Beach since 1978, $40.2M in all, or 34.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 50 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Hugo (332).

Is Myrtle 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 Horry County, 14.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Myrtle Beach?

Myrtle Beach 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 Myrtle Beach?

By FEMA money that reached Myrtle Beach, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 1,894 households applied for aid, $2.7M approved, and $2.9M to the City of Myrtle Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Hugo: 332 paid, $27.2M.

Is Myrtle Beach at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Myrtle Beach’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Myrtle Beach.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Myrtle 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.