Ask the Meteorologist: How insured are North Carolinians for inland flooding?

Inland flooding is the No. 1 killer from tropical systems, and it's something we've seen several times in the last decade.

In that time, you can rattle of storms like Matthew, Florence, Debby, Helene and Chantal as just a few that brought destruction to the state.

These five storms alone have cost the state nearly $80 billion in damages.

More importantly, 36% of tropical storm-related fatalities come from inland flooding. A third are due to storm surge. 

A 2024 study shows which counties have seen the most flash flooding from tropical systems since 2007.

In our area, counties like Wake, Moore, Cumberland, Sampson, Wayne, Johnston, Wilson and Halifax stand out.

The mountains read higher than some neighboring counties. This is both due to how they can enhance rainfall, but it's obviously due to storms like Helene.

The question becomes: are we insured enough to withstand and rebuild from these storms?

North Carolina accounts for 3% of flood insurance policies in the U.S. I calculated the number of policies per person and found that North Carolina ranked seventh in the country.

The North Carolina Department of Insurance says that lenders may require you to have flood insurance if you live in a flood plain.

Standard homeowners insuance policies, however, do not include flood damages. This is likely part of why you see higher numbers of flood insurance plans per person for those living along the coast. There is also a higher rate of properties with flood insurance in the mountains, which could be a rapid reaction to Helene. 

In the middle part of the state, most counties have a policy per 250-500 or 500-1,000+ people.

An atmosphere that holds more moisture will likely lead to more heavy rainfall events that can lead to flash flooding, regardless of if it comes from a tropical system.