Woodside Cotton Mill Village Historic District · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Wade Hampton faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wade Hampton gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #70 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%). Flood insurance has paid 136 claims here since 1979.
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 Wade Hampton’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Wade Hampton 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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 Wade Hampton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wade Hampton, and Wade Hampton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B #70 of 169 in South Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wade Hampton’s residents live in 8 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, Wade Hampton has less expected damage per building than 59% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.7M a year in losses across Wade Hampton: $5.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wade Hampton flood? Yes: 136 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wade Hampton, from FEMA’s records: 14.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene24 claims · $702K
- Hurricane Cindy15 claims · $229K
- The October severe storms1 claim · $305
Wade Hampton 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.The storms Wade Hampton remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Greenville County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wade Hampton itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199530 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 202425 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Helene, declared for Greenville County
- 201419 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm, declared for Greenville County
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 Wade Hampton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wade Hampton archive →Wade Hampton and its neighbors
Wade Hampton is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 112 |
| 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 Wade Hampton 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Wade Hampton
Is Wade Hampton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wade Hampton has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #70 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wade Hampton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 136 claims in Wade Hampton since 1979, $2.3M in all, or 14.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (24).
Is Wade Hampton 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 Wade Hampton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wade Hampton’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 Wade Hampton?
By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 24 paid, $702K.
Is Wade Hampton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Wade Hampton’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wade Hampton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wade Hampton’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.