11 flood insurance claims·$28,743 paid·4 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Saluda County, South Carolina. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 1 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2015, with 5 claims and $5,449 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
3 NOAA storm reports from Saluda County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the South Carolina flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 25, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Aug 4, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Aug 29, 2023 |
| Hurricane Ian | Sep 25, 2022 |
| Hurricane Dorian | Aug 31, 2019 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 8, 2018 |
| Hurricane Irma | Sep 6, 2017 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
9 since 1996: 6 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm | Sep 27, 2024 | $16.8M · 3 killed |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 15, 2018 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 10, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2017 | $100 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 28, 2016 | $35,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2015 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 6, 2003 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2000 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Tropical Storm · Sep 27, 2024. Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. Helene made landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida the night of September 26 before quickly moving inland into east central Georgia by early morning on September 27. Helene weakened to a strong tropical storm and produced…
Tropical Storm · Sep 15, 2018. Hurricane Florence began as an area of disturbed weather that moved west off the African coast around August 29-30, 2018. It gradually developed into a tropical cyclone on August 31, 2018 while just south of the Cape Verde islands. The cyclone continued to move to the WNW across the Atlantic Ocean in the ensuing two weeks, undergoing fluctuations in intensity. The cyclone reorganized and strengthened into a cat…
Tropical Storm · Oct 10, 2018. An area of disturbed weather over the NW Caribbean Sea organized and became Tropical Depression #14 early on Sunday October 7th. The cyclone continued to organize while moving very slowly north, just east of the Yucatan peninsula, becoming Tropical Storm Michael on Sunday afternoon October 7th. The cyclone further developed while moving slowly north, reaching Hurricane status Monday morning October 8th. The…
Flash Flood · May 24, 2017. An upper disturbance ahead of an upper trough, combined with considerable atmospheric instability, moisture, and shear ahead of an approaching surface cold front, to produce shower and thunderstorm activity. Some severe thunderstorms produced tornadoes, strong damaging wind gusts, locally heavy rain, and some hail.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Saluda County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.