Photo: Patrick Nouhailler's… · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in South Bethany
South Bethany isn’t graded for hazard risk: South Bethany has 545 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 510 claims here since 1978.
What South Bethany 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 South Bethany flood? Yes: 510 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in South Bethany, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy296 claims · $3.1M
- Hurricane Gloria23 claims · $97K
South Bethany is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Sussex County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to South Bethany
Disasters that paid out in South Bethany itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of South Bethany), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$50K to the Town of South Bethany for repairs296 flood claims paid for it, $3.1M
- 2011Hurricane Irene$8K to the Town of South Bethany for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms$3K to the Town of South Bethany for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Isabel$9K to the Town of South Bethany for repairs
- 2003Snow$8K to the Town of South Bethany 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 South Bethany after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the South Bethany archive →Get ready for what South Bethany 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.
- South Bethany residents get 05% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in South Bethany
Does South Bethany flood?
Flood insurance has paid 510 claims in South Bethany since 1978, $4.9M in all. 41 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (296).
Is South Bethany 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 South Bethany?
South Bethany is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in South Bethany?
By FEMA money that reached South Bethany, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $50K to the Town of South Bethany for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 296 paid, $3.1M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Bethany.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where South Bethany’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.