Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Henlopen Acres
Henlopen Acres isn’t graded for hazard risk: Henlopen Acres has 176 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1998.
What Henlopen Acres faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
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.
Does Henlopen Acres flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Henlopen Acres, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $622
Henlopen Acres isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sussex County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Henlopen Acres
Disasters that paid out in Henlopen Acres itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Henlopen Acres), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Winter Storm$6K to the Town of Henlopen Acres for repairs
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Town of Henlopen Acres for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$9K to the Town of Henlopen Acres for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $622
- 2011Hurricane Irene$2K to the Town of Henlopen Acres for repairs
Sussex County has had 15 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 Henlopen Acres after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Henlopen Acres archive →Henlopen Acres and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rehoboth Beach | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 75 |
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 Henlopen Acres faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- 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 Henlopen Acres
Does Henlopen Acres flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Henlopen Acres since 1998, $116K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1).
Is Henlopen Acres 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 Sussex County, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 12.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Henlopen Acres?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Henlopen Acres’ 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 Henlopen Acres?
By FEMA money that reached Henlopen Acres, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $9K to the Town of Henlopen Acres for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1 paid, $622.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Henlopen Acres.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Henlopen Acres’ 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.