Flood Claims Map

North Carolina

Flood insurance claims in Buncombe County, North Carolina

FEMA records 1,192 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Buncombe County, North Carolina, since 1978, with $104.1 million paid in total. The year with the most claims was 2024, with 506. As of 3 August 2026, 1.0% of homes here had an NFIP policy, and 41.5% of homes in the high-risk flood zone did.

NFIP claims on record1,192
Total paid$104.1 million
Claims with a payment935
Homes with NFIP policy1.0%
High-risk zone homes insured41.5%
Residential policies in force1,026

Claims by year of loss

1978: 419781979: 231980: 11981: 01982: 419821983: 81984: 41985: 01986: 019861987: 11988: 01989: 51990: 219901991: 21992: 31993: 41994: 1019941995: 521996: 11997: 01998: 2619981999: 12000: 42001: 12002: 120022003: 52004: 2572005: 72006: 020062007: 02008: 02009: 112010: 220102011: 22012: 82013: 252014: 520142015: 322016: 72017: 52018: 3820182019: 252020: 122021: 852022: 020222023: 12024: 5062025: 02026: 22026506

NFIP claims by year of loss, Buncombe County, North Carolina

1978: $10,76619781979: $29,6831980: $4,2551981: $01982: $2,56419821983: $72,4641984: $21,9681985: $01986: $019861987: $3,5811988: $01989: $36,8671990: $019901991: $10,6751992: $14,1521993: $01994: $38,04619941995: $1.2 million1996: $3,5031997: $01998: $356,86919981999: $02000: $02001: $4,3072002: $020022003: $19,2502004: $14.7 million2005: $30,5942006: $020062007: $02008: $02009: $37,4152010: $3,59020102011: $02012: $117,8532013: $206,9542014: $57,09120142015: $796,6152016: $35,7402017: $79,7502018: $639,55720182019: $832,9802020: $292,3772021: $2.9 million2022: $020222023: $02024: $81.6 million2025: $02026: $12,2032026$81.6 million

Paid on claims by year of loss (building, contents and increased cost of compliance), Buncombe County, North Carolina

Named flood events with the most claims

Event (FEMA name)Claims
Hurricane Helene497
Tropical Storm Ivan99
Tropical Storm Fred73
Hurricane Zeta6
Mid-spring storms3
Hurricane Michael1

ZIP codes with the most claims

ZIP code (as reported)Claims
28803302
28805196
28778104
2880696
2871184
2880482
2880178
2871559
2870955
2878744

875 of the claims were on properties rated in a high-risk flood zone (zones starting A or V). Building $80.0 million, contents $23.9 million, increased cost of compliance $169,193.

Flood insurance take-up

HomesWith NFIP policyShare
High-risk flood zone1,28353241.5%
All homes107,1071,0261.0%

FEMA counts residential structures and NFIP residential policies in force as of 3 August 2026. Private flood policies are not counted. A share is shown as n/a where FEMA counts no homes or more policies than homes.

Flood insurance basics. Most standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage. NFIP policies are sold through insurance agents and through FEMA's FloodSmart site, which also explains waiting periods (usually 30 days before cover starts). Check your property's flood zone on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

Sources

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims (v2 dataset, API v3 NfipClaims), 2,725,989 claim records, retrieved 29 October 2026
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA NFIP Residential Penetration Rates, as of 3 August 2026

Checked 29 October 2026. Claims are NFIP claims only. Private flood insurance claims and uninsured losses are not included. Recent events can take months to be fully reflected.