Know Your Hazard

Because the City of North Myrtle Beach is located on the coast, it is subject to flooding from the Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway, and also to inland flooding from the Waccamaw River and other rivers and streams.

Hazard Mitigation Plan:

Are You Located in a Flood Zone?

Flood maps, known officially as Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), show areas of high, moderate, and low flood risk.

  • Identify your flood zone using our Interactive City Map.
    • Navigate to your address using the search bar at the top of the screen, then select, "Current FEMA Flood Zones," from the layer list.
    • You can change the data shown on the map by selecting various other layers, such as parcels, or choosing a different map background.
    • To clearly identify your flood zone, you may need to turn off the, "Zoning," layer in the layer list.
  • City Floodplain Elevation Certificates: available in the Planning and Development Department; call 843-280-5560 to access a copy of your floodplain elevation certificate.
  • Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper: this tool from NOAA shows the people, places, and natural resources exposed to coastal flooding.

Types of Flood Hazards

  • Storm surge is a type of flooding experienced from the effects of a tropical storm or hurricane. Along the coast, storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane. As a storm approaches, water is pushed toward the shore by the force of the winds, causing flooding along the coast. Storm surge can also affect the levels of rivers and waterways, which can also lead to flooding.
  • Heavy rain can also contribute to flooding in our area. Though often associated with tropical storms, heavy rains can happen throughout the year, putting property at risk. Cresting rivers, backed-up storm drains, and saturated ground all contribute to significant flooding when there is an excessive amount of rainfall. If the rain occurs for long periods or if we have a system that dumps a lot of rain in a short period of time often time we can see localized flooding in certain areas.
  • Tidal flooding is the temporary inundation of low-lying areas, especially streets, during exceptionally high tide events, such as at full and new moons.
  • Wildfire flooding: Because we have areas of our City that can be subject to wildfire, flooding after fire is another important flood hazard. After a wildfire, the charred ground where vegetation has burned away cannot easily absorb rainwater. This increases the risk of flooding.
  • Combination events: it is not uncommon for a combination of flooding events to affect our City.

Important Past Floods

View Your FEMA FIRM Panel

  1. View FIRMs at FEMA's Flood Map Service Center page
  2. Download Your FEMA FIRM Panel here (pdf file format). First, determine which FIRM panel you need from the Index Map (PDF),  then choose from the following list: