More hazard damage per building is expected in Wyboo than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wyboo gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #131 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (51%), then river and rain flooding (37%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2016.
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 Wyboo faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Wyboo’s grade
Hurricanes are 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wyboo, and Wyboo’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D #131 of 169 in South Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wyboo’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, Wyboo has more expected damage per building than 77% of South Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.7M a year in losses across Wyboo: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wyboo flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2016
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wyboo, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Matthew1 claim · $4K
Wyboo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clarendon County.The storms Wyboo remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Clarendon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wyboo itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20161 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Matthew, declared for Clarendon County
Clarendon County has had 17 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 Wyboo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wyboo archive →Get ready for what Wyboo 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.
- 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.
- 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 Wyboo
Is Wyboo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wyboo has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #131 of 169 in South Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (51%) and river and rain flooding (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wyboo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Wyboo since 2016, $4K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (1).
Is Wyboo 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 Clarendon County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wyboo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wyboo’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 Wyboo?
By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 1 paid, $4K.
Is Wyboo at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Wyboo’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wyboo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wyboo’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.