Buncombe, NC
Buncombe County in North Carolina has 12 FEMA disaster declarations on record covering 1973–2022, most recently Hurricane Ian on Oct 1, 2022 (DR-3586). Its flood risk grade is B (Moderate risk), ranking #113 of 3,277 U.S. counties, with 108 NFIP flood insurance claims totaling $12,855,003 in payouts. Flood risk is relatively low compared to the national average.
FEMA Disaster Declarations in Buncombe County
The 12 most recent federally declared disasters affecting Buncombe County, NC (1973–2022). Total declarations on record: 12.
| Declared | Incident Type | Title | FEMA Disaster # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ian | DR-3586 |
| Sep 8, 2021 | Hurricane | Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred | DR-4617 |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isaias | DR-3534 |
| Sep 3, 2019 | Hurricane | Hurricane Dorian | DR-3423 |
| Sep 10, 2018 | Hurricane | Hurricane Florence | DR-3401 |
| Sep 25, 2013 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | DR-4146 |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | DR-3222 |
| Sep 18, 2004 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ivan | DR-1553 |
| Sep 10, 2004 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Frances | DR-1546 |
| Sep 6, 1996 | Hurricane | Hurricane Fran | DR-1134 |
| Nov 9, 1977 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-542 |
| Jun 25, 1973 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-394 |
Score Breakdown
The composite score of 22 is calculated from four weighted factors. See our methodology for details.
Other Counties in North Carolina
| County | Grade | Score | Claims | Disasters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alamance | B | 22 | 11 | 12 |
| Orange | B | 22 | 50 | 12 |
| Guilford | B | 22 | 34 | 12 |
| Watauga | B | 23 | 42 | 14 |
| Davidson | B | 23 | 11 | 14 |
| Haywood | B | 21 | 63 | 11 |
More Counties in North Carolina
Frequently Asked Questions
How many FEMA disaster declarations does Buncombe County, NC have?
Buncombe County, NC has 12 federal disaster declarations on FEMA record (1973–2022). The 5 most recent are: Hurricane Ian (declared Oct 1, 2022, DR-3586); Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred (declared Sep 8, 2021, DR-4617); Hurricane Isaias (declared Aug 2, 2020, DR-3534); Hurricane Dorian (declared Sep 3, 2019, DR-3423); Hurricane Florence (declared Sep 10, 2018, DR-3401). Counts include flood, severe storm, hurricane, and coastal storm declarations from the OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries dataset.
What is the flood risk grade for Buncombe County, NC?
Buncombe County is graded B (composite score 22/100, moderate risk). It ranks #113 of 3,277 U.S. counties for flood risk in our scoring model. The grade combines NFIP claims density (40%), disaster frequency (25%), claim severity (20%), and year-over-year trend (15%).
How many NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Buncombe County?
108 NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Buncombe County, NC, totaling $12,855,003 in payouts. The average claim is $119,028. Source: FEMA FimaNfipClaims v2 dataset.
Has Buncombe County, NC had any recent flood disasters?
Yes. The most recent FEMA declaration affecting Buncombe County was Hurricane Ian on Oct 1, 2022 (DR-3586). The county has 12 declared disasters in the OpenFEMA record covering 1973–2022.
this entity is one of the data points covered by this site’s U.S. flood risk, NFIP claims, and disaster declarations dataset. The detail above comes directly from FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims; the context that follows situates the headline numbers against the broader distribution across U.S. ZIPs, counties, and states.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. ZIPs, counties, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA datasets, 2026.