Photo: Phoebe · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Pawleys Island
Pawleys Island isn’t graded for hazard risk: Pawleys Island has 170 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 263 claims here since 1986.
What Pawleys Island faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
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. 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 Pawleys Island flood? Yes: 263 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pawleys Island, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Matthew94 claims · $2.4M
- Hurricane Hugo65 claims · $2.0M
- Hurricane Ian51 claims · $1.6M
Pawleys Island is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Georgetown County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pawleys Island
Disasters that paid out in Pawleys Island itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Pawleys Island), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Hurricane Ian113 households applied for aid$127K aid approved$1.3M to the Town of Pawleys Island for repairs51 flood claims paid for it, $1.6M
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$61K to the Town of Pawleys Island for repairs10 flood claims paid that year
- 2018Hurricane Florence103 households applied for aid$43K aid approved$12K to the Town of Pawleys Island for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma$223K to the Town of Pawleys Island for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $14K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew187 households applied for aid$86K aid approved$337K to the Town of Pawleys Island for repairs94 flood claims paid for it, $2.4M
- 2015Severe Storms and Flooding178 households applied for aid$124K aid approved$95K to the Town of Pawleys Island for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
Show all 10
- 2014Severe Winter Storm$5K to the Town of Pawleys Island for repairs
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances12 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Charley$2K to the Town of Pawleys Island for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$3K to the Town of Pawleys Island for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $12K
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 Pawleys Island after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pawleys Island archive →Get ready for what Pawleys Island 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.
- 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.
- Pawleys Island 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 Pawleys Island
Does Pawleys Island flood?
Flood insurance has paid 263 claims in Pawleys Island since 1986, $6.5M in all. 73 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (94).
Is Pawleys Island 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 Pawleys Island?
Pawleys Island 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 Pawleys Island?
By FEMA money that reached Pawleys Island, Hurricane Ian (2022): 113 households applied for aid, $127K approved, and $1.3M to the Town of Pawleys Island for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 94 paid, $2.4M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pawleys Island.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pawleys Island’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.