Town of Halifax Court House Historic District · Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Halifax than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Halifax gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then hurricanes (16%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Halifax 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
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 Halifax’s grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Halifax, and Halifax’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 16% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
A lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Halifax’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $254K a year in losses across Halifax: $196K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Halifax flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Halifax. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Halifax isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: the county.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Halifax
Disasters that paid out in Halifax itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Halifax), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Tropical Storm Michael$46K to the Town of Halifax for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Isabel9 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$27K to the Town of Halifax for repairs
Its 2 counties have had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Halifax after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Halifax archive →Halifax and its neighbors
Halifax has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Mountain Road | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Halifax 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.
- 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 Halifax
Is Halifax at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Halifax has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and hurricanes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Halifax 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 the county, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Halifax?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Halifax’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 Halifax?
By FEMA money that reached Halifax, Tropical Storm Michael (2018): $46K to the Town of Halifax for repairs.
Is Halifax at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Halifax’s rate for it is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Halifax.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Halifax’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.