Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5On FEMA’s figures, Dover faces less hazard damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dover gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #8 of 37 in Delaware. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then hurricanes (25%). Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1980.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Dover faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Dover’s grade
River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dover, and Dover’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 1%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #8 of 37 in Delaware; lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dover’s residents live in 14 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Delaware town has lower expected damage than 65% of U.S. towns; within the state, Dover has less expected damage per building than 81% of Delaware towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.7M a year in losses across Dover: $7.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dover flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dover, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $8K
Dover isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kent County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dover
Disasters that paid out in Dover itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Dover), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Winter Storm$65K to the City of Dover for repairs
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$673K to the City of Dover for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$255K to the City of Dover for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$157K to the City of Dover for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $8K
- 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$187K to the City of Dover for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Isabel15 households applied for aid$7K aid approved$105K to the City of Dover for repairs
Show all 7
- 2003Snow$129K to the City of Dover for repairs
Kent County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Dover after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dover archive →Dover and its neighbors
Dover has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Kent Acres | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rodney Village | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Dover Base Housing | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | — |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Dover faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Dover
Is Dover at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dover has lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #8 of 37 in Delaware. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and hurricanes (25%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dover flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Dover since 1980, $92K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).
Is Dover in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Kent County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Dover?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dover’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Dover?
By FEMA money that reached Dover, Tropical Storm Isaias (2020): $673K to the City of Dover for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $8K.
Is Dover at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Dover’s rate for it is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dover.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dover’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.