On FEMA’s figures, Woodfield faces less hazard damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodfield gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #48 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then hurricanes (21%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 2015.
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 Woodfield 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
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
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 Woodfield’s grade
River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodfield, and Woodfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #48 of 169 in South Carolina; lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Woodfield’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, Woodfield has less expected damage per building than 72% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Woodfield: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodfield flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 2015
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Woodfield, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The October severe storms12 claims · $809K
Woodfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Richland County.The storms Woodfield remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Richland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Woodfield itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201512 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Richland County
Richland County has had 18 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.
Old photos of Woodfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodfield archive →Woodfield and its neighbors
Woodfield is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dentsville | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Woodfield | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Columbia | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 472 |
| Forest Acres | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 106 |
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 Woodfield 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Woodfield
Is Woodfield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodfield has lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #48 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and hurricanes (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Woodfield flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Woodfield since 2015, $809K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from October severe storms (12).
Is Woodfield 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 Richland County, 69% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Woodfield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodfield’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 Woodfield?
By flood claims, October severe storms: 12 paid, $809K.
Is Woodfield at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Woodfield’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodfield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodfield’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.