Watauga County flood history
North Carolina · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 463 flood insurance claims in Watauga County, North Carolina since 1978. The NFIP paid $16.3 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 2024, with 198, mostly from Hurricane Helene.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 248 claims, and the average paid claim was $68,054.
26% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 2.0% of homes in Watauga County, North Carolina had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (485 of 24,602 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 44% (298 of 673).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 4 flood-related disaster declarations covering Watauga County, North Carolina. The most recent was EM-3617-NC (Hurricane Helene), declared September 26, 2024.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | $2,593 |
| 2025 | 2 | $117,306 |
| 2024 | 198 | $13.0 million |
| 2023 | 1 | $75,653 |
| 2021 | 2 | $39,613 |
| 2020 | 7 | $79,604 |
| 2019 | 8 | $14,156 |
| 2018 | 15 | $47,977 |
| 2017 | 14 | $559,253 |
| 2016 | 2 | $4,195 |
| 2013 | 22 | $555,617 |
| 2012 | 3 | $2,445 |
| 2011 | 14 | $260,034 |
| 2010 | 2 | $2,168 |
| 2009 | 2 | $6,316 |
| 2004 | 44 | $595,356 |
| 2003 | 18 | $219,000 |
| 2000 | 1 | $0 |
| 1999 | 1 | $0 |
| 1998 | 9 | $106,594 |
| 1997 | 2 | $529 |
| 1996 | 3 | $1,453 |
| 1995 | 18 | $171,708 |
| 1994 | 34 | $266,703 |
| 1993 | 1 | $0 |
| 1992 | 1 | $5,534 |
| 1991 | 1 | $635 |
| 1990 | 1 | $467 |
| 1989 | 17 | $114,306 |
| 1987 | 1 | $2,893 |
| 1985 | 1 | $5,995 |
| 1983 | 4 | $0 |
| 1980 | 1 | $963 |
| 1979 | 11 | $8,032 |
| 1978 | 1 | $0 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | 2024 | 196 | $13.0 million |
| Tropical Storm Ivan | 2004 | 28 | $441,034 |
| Hurricane Hugo | 1989 | 12 | $57,574 |
| Tropical Storm Fred | 2021 | 1 | $30,779 |
| Hurricane Sandy | 2012 | 1 | $2,445 |
| Hurricane Floyd | 1999 | 1 | $0 |
| Hurricane Florence | 2018 | 2 | $0 |
| Hurricane Matthew | 2016 | 1 | $0 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 485 residential NFIP policies in Watauga County, against 24,602 residential buildings (2.0%). Of the 673 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 298 have an NFIP policy (44%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.
Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3617-NC | Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane Helene | No |
| DR-4153-NC | Oct 29, 2013 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides | No |
| DR-4146-NC | Sep 25, 2013 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-1871-NC | Feb 2, 2010 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | No |
Check your own address
County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of North Carolina.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.