Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Ravenel faces more hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ravenel 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 (64%), then earthquakes (16%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Ravenel’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Ravenel faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
River and rain 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 Ravenel’s grade
Hurricanes are 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ravenel, and Ravenel’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 4%, at a rate in the top 2% 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).
Ravenel’s residents live in 2 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, Ravenel has more expected damage per building than 88% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Ravenel: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ravenel flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ravenel. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Ravenel is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Charleston County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ravenel
Disasters that paid out in Ravenel itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ravenel), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Hurricane Ian50 households applied for aid$68K aid approved
- 2016Hurricane Matthew112 households applied for aid$88K aid approved
- 2015Severe Storms and Flooding219 households applied for aid$118K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances20 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
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 Ravenel after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ravenel archive →Ravenel and its neighbors
Ravenel has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravenel | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Hollywood | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 14 |
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 Ravenel 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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.
- Ravenel 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 Ravenel
Is Ravenel at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ravenel 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 (64%) and earthquakes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Ravenel 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 Ravenel?
Ravenel 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 Ravenel?
By FEMA money that reached Ravenel, Severe Storms and Flooding (2015): 219 households applied for aid, $118K approved.
Is Ravenel at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Ravenel’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ravenel.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ravenel’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.