Natural hazards · Dewey Beach

Dewey Beach, DE natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Dewey Beach comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 205 claims here since 1984. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Dewey Beach?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Dewey Beach to be higher than in 70% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and coastal flooding.

Inland flooding39%Coastal flooding33%Hurricanes22%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Dewey Beach faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

39% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 43% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

33% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

22% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Dewey Beach flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dewey Beach, from FEMA’s records.

205paid claims since 1984

$2.6Mpaid to owners

32homes flooded more than once

19842026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Sandy: 49 claims, $910K
December Storm - Nor'easter: 26 claims, $314K
Hurricane Gloria: 1 claim, $2K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (5) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

🏷️ 05% off flood insurance. Dewey Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Sussex County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

2homes raised above flood level

Disasters that hit Dewey Beach

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Dewey Beach itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Dewey Beach.

Brought FEMA money into Dewey BeachDeclared for Sussex County only

2012

Hurricane Sandy

$13K to the Town of Dewey Beach for repairs

2011

Hurricane Irene

$17K to the Town of Dewey Beach for repairs

2003

Hurricane Isabel

$4K to the Town of Dewey Beach for repairs

Sussex County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Dewey Beach is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Dewey Beach’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Dewey Beach. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.