Natural hazards · Wanchese

Wanchese, NC natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wanchese comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 136 claims here since 1985. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Wanchese?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wanchese to be higher than in 99% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes.

Hurricanes74%Coastal flooding9%Everything else17%

By hazard

What Wanchese faces

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

Hurricanes

74% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Coastal flooding

9% of expected damage

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

Lower here

Inland floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Wanchese flood?

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

136paid claims since 1985

$2.5Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19852026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene: 74 claims, $1.9M
Hurricane Gloria: 7 claims, $20K
Hurricane Isabel: 7 claims, $60K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Wanchese isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Dare County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

25homes raised above flood level

Disasters that hit Wanchese

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Wanchese itself: aid to households, or repair grants to Wanchese.

Brought FEMA money into WancheseDeclared for Dare County only

2016

Hurricane Matthew

13 households applied for aid $10K aid approved

2011

Hurricane Irene

132 households applied for aid $456K aid approved

2003

Hurricane Isabel

64 households applied for aid $31K aid approved

Dare County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

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. Wanchese covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wanchese’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Wanchese. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Wanchese total about $2.2M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.