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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Powdersville · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Powdersville than in 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Powdersville gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #111 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 82%Tornadoes 6%Earthquakes 5%

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 62%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#111 of 169 in South Carolina
Hazard risk
C+#111 of 169
in South Carolina · higher than 62% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2005 · $303K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 14 declared for Anderson County
By hazard

What Powdersville 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

82%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Hurricanes Hail Lightning top 0% Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 15% of Powdersville’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Powdersville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Powdersville, and Powdersville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Powdersville sits
Powdersville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #111 of 169 in South Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Powdersville’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Tornadoes6%Earthquakes5%Everything else7%

The typical South Carolina town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Powdersville has more expected damage per building than 65% of South Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.8M a year in losses across Powdersville: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Powdersville covers 2 census tracts, combined by where 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 Powdersville flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Powdersville, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 3 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200520202024
20052026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Helene2 claims · $254K
  • Hurricane Cindy1 claim · $547
7
paid claims since 2005
$303K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$43K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Powdersville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Anderson County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Powdersville

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene55 households applied for aid$24K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $254K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PowdersvilleAnderson County only

Anderson County has had 14 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Powdersville archive →
Next door

Powdersville and its neighbors

Powdersville is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Welcome: hazard risk B−Easley: hazard risk B+WelcomeEasleyPowdersville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
EasleyB+less damage than 65%river and rain flooding9
WelcomeB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding11
PowdersvilleC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding7

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 Powdersville faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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.
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 Powdersville

Is Powdersville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Powdersville has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #111 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and tornadoes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Powdersville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Powdersville since 2005, $303K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (2).

Is Powdersville 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 Anderson County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Powdersville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Powdersville’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 Powdersville?

By FEMA money that reached Powdersville, Hurricane Helene (2024): 55 households applied for aid, $24K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 2 paid, $254K.

Is Powdersville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Powdersville’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Powdersville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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