Photo: Evanoco · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Yemassee than in 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Yemassee gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (69%), then river and rain flooding (18%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1998.
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 Yemassee 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 Yemassee’s grade
Hurricanes are 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Yemassee, and Yemassee’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Yemassee’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $927K a year in losses across Yemassee: $737K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Yemassee flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Yemassee, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Yemassee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hampton County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Yemassee
Disasters that paid out in Yemassee itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Yemassee), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene423 households applied for aid$808K aid approved$16K to the Town of Yemassee for repairs
- 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds40 households applied for aid$101K aid approved
- 2016Hurricane Matthew334 households applied for aid$152K aid approved
- 2015Severe Storms and Flooding145 households applied for aid$164K aid approved
Hampton County has had 16 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 Yemassee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Yemassee archive →Yemassee and its neighbors
Yemassee has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yemassee | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 1 |
| Sheldon | — | 610 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Yemassee 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 Yemassee
Is Yemassee at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Yemassee has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (69%) and river and rain flooding (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Yemassee flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Yemassee since 1998, $2K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Yemassee 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 Hampton County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Yemassee?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Yemassee’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 Yemassee?
By FEMA money that reached Yemassee, Hurricane Helene (2024): 423 households applied for aid, $808K approved, and $16K to the Town of Yemassee for repairs.
Is Yemassee at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Yemassee’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Yemassee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Yemassee’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.