Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Greensboro
Greensboro isn’t graded for hazard risk: Greensboro has 633 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1994.
What Greensboro 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
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.
Does Greensboro flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1994
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Greensboro, from FEMA’s records.
- The Vermont/New York Flooding2 claims · $104K
Greensboro isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Orleans County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Greensboro
Disasters that paid out in Greensboro itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Greensboro), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$936K to the Town of Greensboro for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides10 households applied for aid$59K aid approved$2.5M to the Town of Greensboro for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$35K to the Town of Greensboro for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$12K to the Town of Greensboro for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$124K to the Town of Greensboro for repairs
- 2001Snow$4K to the Town of Greensboro for repairs
Show all 7
- 1999Tropical Storm Floyd$4K to the Town of Greensboro for repairs
Orleans County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Greensboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Greensboro archive →Greensboro and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolcott | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Craftsbury | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hardwick | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 60 |
| Glover | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Wheelock | — | 717 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Stannard | — | 228 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Greensboro Bend | — | 224 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 Greensboro 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.
- 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 Greensboro
Does Greensboro flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Greensboro since 1994, $125K in all. The most claims came from Vermont/New York Flooding (2).
Is Greensboro 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 Orleans County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Greensboro?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Greensboro’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 Greensboro?
By FEMA money that reached Greensboro, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 10 households applied for aid, $59K approved, and $2.5M to the Town of Greensboro for repairs. By flood claims, Vermont/New York Flooding: 2 paid, $104K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Greensboro.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Greensboro’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.