Greer Post Office · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Taylors’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Taylors gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #116 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 55 claims here since 1982.
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 Taylors 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
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 Taylors’ grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Taylors, and Taylors’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C #116 of 169 in South Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Taylors’ residents live in 7 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, Taylors has more expected damage per building than 68% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.6M a year in losses across Taylors: $5.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Taylors flood? Sometimes: 55 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Taylors, from FEMA’s records: 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene12 claims · $785K
- Hurricane Cindy5 claims · $58K
Taylors isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Greenville County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Taylors
Disasters that paid out in Taylors itself (aid to households or repair grants to Taylors), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene8,648 households applied for aid$6.6M aid approved12 flood claims paid for it, $785K
- 2015Severe Storms and Flooding16 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Frances3 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Greenville County has had 16 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Greenville County, 2016–2025.
Old photos of Taylors after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Taylors archive →Taylors and its neighbors
Taylors is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greer | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Wade Hampton | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 136 |
| Taylors | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
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 Taylors faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Taylors
Is Taylors at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Taylors has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #116 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Taylors flood?
Flood insurance has paid 55 claims in Taylors since 1982, $1.2M in all, or 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (12).
Is Taylors 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 Greenville County, 45% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Taylors?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Taylors’ 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 Taylors?
By FEMA money that reached Taylors, Hurricane Helene (2024): 8,648 households applied for aid, $6.6M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 12 paid, $785K.
Is Taylors at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Taylors’ rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Taylors.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Taylors’ 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.