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Mispillion Lighthouse and Beacon TowerMispillion Lighthouse and Beacon Tower · Photo: Skip willits · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Slaughter Beach · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Slaughter Beach

Slaughter Beach isn’t graded for hazard risk: Slaughter Beach has 408 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1984.

Flood claims
12
paid since 1984 · $57K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
1
of 15 declared for Sussex County
By hazard

What Slaughter Beach 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

40%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

37%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Lightning 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 11% of Slaughter Beach’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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Slaughter Beach flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1984

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

Paid flood claims, by year
1984: 2 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 2 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 2 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 4 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198419982016
19842026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Sandy2 claims · $4K
12
paid claims since 1984
$57K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Slaughter Beach 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
9homes raised above flood level
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Slaughter Beach

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

  1. 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$10K to the Town of Slaughter Beach for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Slaughter BeachSussex 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 Slaughter Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Slaughter Beach archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Slaughter Beach faces

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

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 ↗
When the tide surges
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Slaughter Beach

Does Slaughter Beach flood?

Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Slaughter Beach since 1984, $57K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (2).

Is Slaughter Beach 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 Slaughter Beach?

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

By FEMA money that reached Slaughter Beach, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2016): $10K to the Town of Slaughter Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 2 paid, $4K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Slaughter Beach.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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