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Selbyville LibraryPhoto: Don Woods · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Selbyville · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Selbyville faces less hazard damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Selbyville gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #10 of 37 in Delaware. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (49%), then river and rain flooding (45%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1993.

Hurricanes 49%River and rain flooding 45%Earthquakes 2%

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

less than 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#10 of 37 in Delaware
Hazard risk
A−#10 of 37
in Delaware · lower than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
49% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1993 · $15K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 15 declared for Sussex County

What stands out about Selbyville’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 78% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way4 homes raised above flood level with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Selbyville faces

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

Hurricanes

49%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

River and rain flooding

45%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Coastal flooding Tornadoes Winter storms Ice storms Strong wind Lightning Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 17% of Selbyville’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

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

What’s behind Selbyville’s grade

Hurricanes are 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Selbyville, and Selbyville’s rate of hurricanes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Selbyville sits
Selbyville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #10 of 37 in Delaware; lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Selbyville’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes49%River and rain flooding45%Everything else6%

The typical Delaware town has lower expected damage than 65% of U.S. towns; within the state, Selbyville has less expected damage per building than 75% of Delaware towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Selbyville: $857K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Selbyville covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Selbyville flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Selbyville, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 2 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19932012
19932026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Sandy2 claims · $6K
3
paid claims since 1993
$15K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Selbyville 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4homes raised above flood level
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Selbyville

Disasters that paid out in Selbyville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Selbyville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2012Hurricane Sandy$5K to the Town of Selbyville for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $6K
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene$9K to the Town of Selbyville for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$10K to the Town of Selbyville for repairs
  4. 2003Hurricane Isabel3 households applied for aid$7K to the Town of Selbyville for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$2K to the Town of Selbyville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SelbyvilleSussex County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Selbyville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Selbyville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Selbyville faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Selbyville

Is Selbyville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Selbyville has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #10 of 37 in Delaware. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (49%) and river and rain flooding (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Selbyville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Selbyville since 1993, $15K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (2).

Is Selbyville 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 Selbyville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Selbyville’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 Selbyville?

By FEMA money that reached Selbyville, Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms (2010): $10K to the Town of Selbyville for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 2 paid, $6K.

Is Selbyville at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Selbyville’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Selbyville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Selbyville’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.