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Natural hazard risk in Dare County, North Carolina

Updated October 30, 2026. Based on FEMA, NOAA and OpenFEMA data. Published by Humblebee.

FEMA overall Risk Index rating: Relatively Moderate (score 89.5 of 100)[5]

Expected annual loss (FEMA)
$80.8 million[1]
Federal disaster declarations since 1988
29[2]
NFIP flood claims paid, 1978 to 2026
$230.9 million[3]
Tornadoes recorded, 1950 to 2024
40[4]

FEMA's National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) gives Dare County an overall natural hazard rating of Relatively Moderate compared with other US counties[5]. The hazards with the highest FEMA scores within the county are hurricane, lightning and winter weather[6].

FEMA risk ratings for each hazard

Ratings and expected losses from the FEMA National Risk Index. Each rating compares this county with all US counties for that hazard, from Very Low to Very High. They are planning estimates, not predictions, and they do not describe any single property.

FEMA estimates Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Dare County at $80.8 million a year[1]. This is a FEMA estimate of average yearly loss, not money anyone paid[7]. By FEMA's Expected Annual Loss values, the largest hazards are hurricane ($64.9 million a year), inland flooding ($6.7 million a year) and coastal flooding ($4.3 million a year)[8]. FEMA rates Social Vulnerability Relatively Moderate[9]. FEMA rates Community Resilience Very High compared with other US counties[10]. The index is not meant to predict damage in the next year[7].

Hazards sorted by FEMA hazard-type Risk Index score, highest first
HazardFEMA risk ratingExpected annual loss
HurricaneRelatively High$64.9 million[11]
LightningRelatively High$1.8 million[12]
Winter WeatherRelatively High$365,000[13]
Coastal FloodingRelatively High$4.3 million[14]
WildfireRelatively Low$546,000[15]
Heat WaveRelatively Low$392,000[16]
Inland FloodingRelatively Low$6.7 million[17]
TornadoRelatively Low$1.1 million[18]
Strong WindRelatively Low$349,000[19]
EarthquakeVery Low$44,000[20]
Ice StormVery Low$23,000[21]
Cold WaveVery Low$256,000[22]
LandslideVery Low$124[23]
DroughtVery Low$378[24]
HailVery Low$44,000[25]

Rated Not Applicable by FEMA for this county: avalanche, volcanic activity[26].

Social vulnerability and community resilience

FEMA uses these two ratings to scale expected losses into the Risk Index.

FEMA measureRatingScore
Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate45.1[9]
Community resilienceVery High99.9[10]

Flooding and flood insurance

FEMA rates coastal flooding risk Relatively High[14] and inland flooding risk Relatively Low[17] for Dare County. OpenFEMA lists 12,409 residential flood insurance contracts in force as of 2026-08-03[27]. It also says 84% of homes inside the Special Flood Hazard Area are insured[27]. OpenFEMA NFIP claims data show 18,950 claims for losses from 1978 to 2026, and NFIP paid $230.9 million in total[3]. To learn the flood zone of an address, use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center[28].

Measure Value
Coastal Flooding, FEMA risk rating[14] Relatively High, $4.3 million expected loss a year
Inland Flooding, FEMA risk rating[17] Relatively Low, $6.7 million expected loss a year
NFIP residential flood policies in force (2026)[27] 12,409 of 31,280 homes
Homes in FEMA's mapped high-risk flood area (SFHA)[27] 8,571, of which 7,197 insured
NFIP flood claims, 1978 to 2026[3] 18,950 filed, $230.9 million paid

Is a specific address in a flood zone? Only FEMA's flood maps answer that, property by property[28]. This page describes the whole county.

Search an address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Disaster declarations and tornado records

OpenFEMA lists 29 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Dare County since 1988[2]. Of these, 22 were for hurricanes[2]. The most recent listed is a severe winter storm emergency declared 2026-01-24[29]. NOAA's tornado database records 40 tornadoes touching the county from 1950 to 2024[4].

Federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Dare County, since 1988
Incident type Declarations
Hurricane[2] 22
Tropical Storm[2] 3
Tornado[2] 1
Snowstorm[2] 1
Severe Storm[2] 1
Winter Storm[2] 1
Most recent declarations
Declaration Incident Declared
EM-3637-NC[29] Severe Winter Storm 2026-01-24
DR-4837-NC[29] Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight 2024-10-19
EM-3617-NC[29] Hurricane Helene 2024-09-26
EM-3608-NC[29] Tropical Storm Debby 2024-08-06
EM-3586-NC[29] Hurricane Ian 2022-10-01

How to prepare

Steps from Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness site, for the hazards with the highest FEMA ratings here. Follow instructions from local officials and the National Weather Service when a warning is issued.

Hurricanes

Before

  • Know your hurricane risk, including rain, wind and tornadoes far inland from landfall.
  • Learn your evacuation zone and routes, and practice them with your household and pets.
  • Keep insurance policies and ID current, with password-protected digital copies.
  • Clear drains and gutters, bring in outdoor furniture and consider hurricane shutters.
  • Keep your phone charged, buy backup chargers and gather supplies, including medication and pet supplies.

During

  • If you are in a mandatory evacuation zone and officials order an evacuation, leave right away.
  • For high winds, take shelter in a designated storm shelter or an interior room.
  • If you are trapped by flooding, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, hurricanes

Winter storms and cold

Before

  • Insulate your home and learn how to keep pipes from freezing.
  • Install and test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup.
  • Keep several days of supplies in case the power goes out, including medication and pet needs.
  • Put an emergency kit in your car with jumper cables, sand, blankets, water and snacks, and keep the tank full.

During

  • Under a winter storm warning, find shelter right away.
  • Stay off the roads if you can. If you are stuck in your car, stay inside it.
  • Run generators and grills only outdoors, away from windows, and never heat your home with an oven or stove.

Source: Ready.gov, winter storms and cold

Floods

Before

  • Check your flood risk with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and remember that floods do not follow map lines.
  • Sign up for your community's warning system. NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts alerts.
  • Buy flood insurance through the NFIP well before a disaster. Homeowners policies do not cover flooding, and a new policy typically takes up to 30 days to go into effect.
  • Make a household plan with evacuation routes, shelter locations and what to do in a flash flood.
  • Keep important documents in a waterproof container and make password-protected digital copies.

During

  • If you are told to evacuate, leave right away and never drive around barricades.
  • Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater. Six inches of moving water can knock you down.
  • If you are trapped in a building, go to the highest level, but do not climb into a closed attic.

Source: Ready.gov, floods

Questions people ask

Is Dare County at risk of flooding?
FEMA rates coastal flooding Relatively High and inland flooding Relatively Low compared with other US counties[14][17]. For a specific address, check FEMA's Flood Map Service Center[28].
Is Dare County at risk of hurricanes?
FEMA rates hurricane risk Relatively High compared with other US counties[11]. OpenFEMA lists 22 hurricane declarations that include the county since 1988[2].
Does Dare County get tornadoes?
NOAA's tornado database records 40 tornadoes touching Dare County from 1950 to 2024[4]. FEMA rates tornado risk Relatively Low compared with other US counties[18].
Is Dare County at risk of earthquakes?
FEMA rates earthquake risk Very Low compared with other US counties[20].
How many disasters were declared in Dare County?
OpenFEMA lists 29 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include the county since 1988[2].

Facts and sources

  1. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Expected Annual Loss from all 18 natural hazards in Dare County is $80.8 million a year (Expected Annual Loss rating Relatively Moderate, score 88.9). Of this, buildings account for $74.9 million, injuries and deaths (converted to dollars by FEMA) for $5.9... FEMA National Risk Index
  2. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries list 29 federal disaster declarations for natural hazards that include Dare County since 1988 (14 major disaster, 15 emergency or fire management). By incident type: hurricane 22, tropical storm 3, tornado 1, snowstorm 1, severe storm 1, winter storm 1. Biological (such as... OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations
  3. HazardFacts tally of OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (losses from 1978 to 2026): 18,950 National Flood Insurance Program claims were filed for losses in Dare County, 13,551 of them with a payment, and NFIP paid $230.9 million in total (building, contents and increased cost of compliance, in dollars of the year paid).... OpenFEMA NFIP claims
  4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950 to 2024): 40 recorded tornadoes touched Dare County. The strongest were rated F3 (most recent of them on 1952-09-17). 1 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger. The most recent recorded tornado was on 2016-09-02. Ratings used the Fujita scale until early 2007 and the... NOAA Storm Prediction Center
  5. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): the overall natural hazard Risk Index rating for Dare County is Relatively Moderate, with a Risk Index score of 89.5 out of 100. The score is the county's percentile rank among all US counties. FEMA National Risk Index
  6. Among the 18 hazards in the FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), the hazards with the highest hazard-type Risk Index scores for Dare County are hurricane (97.7, Relatively High), lightning (94.6, Relatively High), winter weather (88.5, Relatively High). HazardFacts sorted FEMA's published scores;... FEMA National Risk Index
  7. FEMA's National Risk Index FAQ (December 2025): Expected Annual Loss is FEMA's estimate of the average economic loss in dollars from natural hazards each year. The index is not meant to predict how much damage a community will have in the next year, and a hazard can still cause damage where a rating is low. Scores... FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  8. HazardFacts sorted FEMA's hazard-type Expected Annual Loss values for Dare County (National Risk Index v1.20): the largest are hurricane ($64.9 million a year), inland flooding ($6.7 million a year), coastal flooding ($4.3 million a year), out of $80.8 million a year from all 18 hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  9. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Social Vulnerability rating for Dare County is Relatively Moderate (score 45.1). FEMA describes social vulnerability as how susceptible social groups are to the harm natural hazards cause. FEMA National Risk Index
  10. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025): Community Resilience rating for Dare County is Very High (score 99.9). FEMA describes community resilience as a community's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from hazards. FEMA National Risk Index
  11. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hurricane in Dare County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 97.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $64.9 million a year (rating Very High). Annualized frequency 0.41 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 172 years for the... FEMA National Risk Index
  12. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), lightning in Dare County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 94.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.8 million a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 45.92 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 24 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  13. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), winter weather in Dare County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 88.5 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $365,000 a year (rating Relatively High). Annualized frequency 2.64 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  14. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), coastal flooding in Dare County: Risk Index rating Relatively High (score 86.8 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $4.3 million a year (rating Relatively High). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 2.9369 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  15. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), wildfire in Dare County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 82.6 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $546,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0028 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  16. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), heat wave in Dare County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 51.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $392,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 7.36 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  17. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), inland flooding in Dare County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 50.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $6.7 million a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 0.46 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 26 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  18. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), tornado in Dare County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 47.0 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $1.1 million a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 0.4 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  19. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), strong wind in Dare County: Risk Index rating Relatively Low (score 35.2 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $349,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 0.44 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 38 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  20. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), earthquake in Dare County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 24.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $44,000 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA's modeled annual frequency is 0.0006 events per year. FEMA National Risk Index
  21. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), ice storm in Dare County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 24.4 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $23,000 a year (rating Very Low). Annualized frequency 0.14 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 68 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  22. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), cold wave in Dare County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 21.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $256,000 a year (rating Relatively Low). Annualized frequency 0.39 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 18 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  23. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), landslide in Dare County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 20.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $124 a year (rating Very Low). FEMA National Risk Index
  24. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), drought in Dare County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 14.3 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $378 a year (rating Very Low). Annualized frequency 0.28 event-days per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 22 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  25. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025), hail in Dare County: Risk Index rating Very Low (score 13.7 of 100). Expected Annual Loss $44,000 a year (rating Very Low). Annualized frequency 0.8 events per year, from recorded occurrences over a period of record of 37 years. FEMA National Risk Index
  26. FEMA National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates these hazards Not Applicable for Dare County: avalanche, volcanic activity. FEMA uses Not Applicable when its source data has no historical record of the hazard in the community and the hazard is not considered geographically possible there. FEMA National Risk Index documentation
  27. NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (OpenFEMA, as of 2026-08-03): 12,409 residential flood insurance contracts were in force in Dare County, out of 31,280 residential structures, a penetration rate of 39.7%. Inside FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Area there were 8,571 residential structures and 7,197 contracts, a... OpenFEMA NFIP penetration rates
  28. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood maps (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) produced under the National Flood Insurance Program. Flood zones apply to specific properties: look up an address there or ask the local floodplain manager. County-level ratings do not tell you the flood zone of... FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  29. Most recent federal disaster declarations for natural hazards (table on this page). OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations

FEMA's National Risk Index compares each county with all other US counties. Ratings are relative (Very Low to Very High), not a measure of safety. Never call a place safe, unsafe, good or bad to live in. Risk Index and Expected Annual Loss values are FEMA estimates for planning. They do not predict next year's losses and do not apply to a single property. Flood zones are set by FEMA flood maps for specific properties. County ratings and flood insurance counts do not tell anyone whether an address is in a flood zone. Disaster declaration, NFIP and tornado counts are records of the past for this county only. Do not compare with other counties unless a fact does.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties, v1.20 (December 2025). Retrieved from fema.maps.arcgis.com on October 30, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.