Flood Insurance: Which South Carolina Communities Are the Most Vulnerable?

south carolina flood

Aside from being in the same county in the Charlotte, NC, metro area, the South Carolina towns of York and Clover have something else in common. Among South Carolina towns with at least 5,000 residents, York and Clover have the least amount of disaster protection in the form of flood insurance.

A LawnStarter analysis of data from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) shows that as of July 31, 2015, only one policy each is in effect in York and Clover. On a per-household basis, York has the lowest rate of coverage through the federal program, with Clover sits in second place on this dubious list. The lion’s share of flood insurance policies in the U.S. are purchased through the NFIP.

On the other end of the flood-insurance spectrum, our data review shows two coastal communities — North Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island — are the most protected among South Carolina cities with at least 5,000 residents. In all, 60 cities are on our list. (Data for each city appears in a table at the end of this blog post.)

south-carolina-flood-1

Flickr/Coast Guard News

LawnStarter calculated the flood insurance rates in South Carolina by taking the number of flood insurance policies in effect in a city and dividing it by the number of households. Figures are for each city only, not an entire metropolitan area.

Suffering in South Carolina

The subject of flood insurance has taken center stage in South Carolina as the Palmetto State copes with historic flooding. Final numbers haven’t been calculated, but early estimates peg the damage at more than $1 billion. Over a dozen deaths have been blamed on the flooding.

“One of the biggest issues why people don’t carry flood insurance is apathy.”
— Loretta Worters, Insurance Information Institute

The inland towns of York and Clover have been spared the deluge of floodwater witnessed in other parts of South Carolina, including Columbia and Charleston. Still, York and Clover — along with all other communities in South Carolina — aren’t immune from flooding.

Russ Dubisky, executive director of the South Carolina Insurance News Service, says a majority of the NFIP policies in South Carolina cover properties in coastal areas. Most of those policyholders are in special flood hazard zones and may be required by their mortgage lenders to buy coverage, he says. For people outside those zones, flood risk is rated as low to moderate and coverage is optional.

As of July 31, South Carolina had 199,540 NFIP policies in force, while the state has close to 1.8 million households. According to the South Carolina Insurance News Service, about 10 percent of homeowners in South Carolina are covered by flood insurance. A 2015 survey by the industry-supported Insurance Information Institute found that just 14 percent of U.S. homeowners carry flood insurance.

Apathy and Frugality

“One of the biggest issues why people don’t carry flood insurance is apathy. I think many people think it won’t happen to them and are willing to take the risk,” says Loretta Worters, a spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute.

South Carolina flood

Flickr/Coast Guard News

Aside from apathy, some property owners and renters lack flood insurance because they think it’s too expensive, Worters says. The average cost of a flood insurance policy is $700 a year, she says, while the average flood insurance claim is about $42,000.

“I don’t think it’s worth the risk,” Worters says.

Flood Insurance 101

Flood damage isn’t covered by standard homeowner’s, renter’s and business insurance policies. However, flood coverage is available separately from the NFIP and a few private insurers.

The NFIP provides coverage for up to $250,000 for the structure of a home and $100,000 for personal belongings. For businesses, the coverage is $500,000 for a commercial structure and $500,000 for its contents.

Check out the table below for a complete list of data for South Carolina communities with at least 5,000 residents. (Flood insurance data was not available for James Island and Union.)

CityPopulation (2014)# of households# of NFIP policiesPolicies per household
York8,0382,69710.0003707823508
Clover5,5791,87110.0005344735436
Central5,1492,04220.0009794319295
Laurens9,1823,84950.001299038711
Greer27,67610,128190.001875987362
Batesburg-Leesville5,4232,04140.001959823616
Fountain Inn8,1342,84860.002106741573
Seneca8,2463,73880.002140181915
Clinton8,6192,50860.002392344498
Abbeville5,1912,08150.002402691014
Gaffney12,5974,845130.002683178535
Fort Mill13,0874,547130.002859027931
Lake City6,7322,44870.002859477124
Chester5,4942,09860.00285986654
Greenwood23,2368,716270.003097751262
Anderson27,18110,814380.003513963381
Tega Cay9,1202,699100.003705075954
Cheraw5,7932,685100.003724394786
Spartanburg37,52515,488590.003809400826
Easley20,5498,155350.004291845494
Dillon6,6582,604120.004608294931
Rock Hill69,96726,3071230.004675561638
Lexington19,8937,245350.004830917874
Darlington6,2062,658130.00489089541
Simpsonville20,1257,417370.004988539841
Aiken30,25812,304640.005201560468
Newberry10,2683,878220.005673027334
Marion6,7512,527150.005935892362
West Columbia15,9207,065420.005944798301
Bennettsville8,8333,057190.006215243703
Greenville62,25225,6492030.007914538579
Lancaster8,9603,264260.007965686275
Clemson15,0725,738460.008016730568
Florence37,96114,9721210.008081752605
Orangeburg13,5534,939490.009921036647
Summerville46,97416,4921640.009944215377
Mauldin24,8239,407960.01020516637
Hartsville7,8523,225360.0111627907
Camden7,0302,917330.0113129928
Walterboro5,2812,231280.01255042582
Sumter40,92915,9752170.01358372457
Moncks Corner9,4603,092470.01520051746
Irmo11,8934,382700.01597444089
Columbia132,06745,1127920.01755630431
Cayce12,9515,3311190.02232226599
Conway20,1756,3441650.02600882724
North Augusta22,3009,0512650.02927853276
Forest Acres10,6035,0791510.02973026186
Goose Creek40,37012,5413770.03006139861
Bluffton15,1994,4731410.03152246814
North Charleston106,74936,3841,6670.04581684257
Hanahan19,8657,2958200.1124057574
Georgetown9,0543,4165280.1545667447
Port Royal11,8702,5763990.1548913043
Beaufort13,1304,5321,5140.3340688438
Charleston130,11351,59123,6970.4593243008
Mount Pleasant77,79627,91414,5910.5227126173
Myrtle Beach29,99211,77610,3290.877122962
Hilton Head Island40,03916,78128,0251.670043502
North Myrtle Beach15,1747,25612,5321.727122381

Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau, National Flood Insurance Program

Data notes

Population estimates as of July 1, 2014
Household figures for 2009-2013
Flood insurance figures as of July 31, 2015

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John Egan

John Egan is the former editor in chief of LawnStarter.com. Now, he is a freelance writer extraordinaire. He lives in Austin, Texas.