Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Darien, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Darien gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (78%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2017.
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 Darien faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Coastal flooding
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 Darien’s grade
Hurricanes are 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Darien, and Darien’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 9%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Darien’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Darien: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Darien flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Darien, 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.
- Hurricane Irma1 claim · $80K
- Hurricane Idalia1 claim · $2K
Darien isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: McIntosh County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Darien
Disasters that paid out in Darien itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Darien), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene519 households applied for aid$707K aid approved$210K to the City of Darien for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma682 households applied for aid$245K aid approved$95K to the City of Darien for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $80K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew233 households applied for aid$117K aid approved$80K to the City of Darien for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Tornadoes63 households applied for aid$67K aid approved$48K to the City of Darien for repairs
McIntosh County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in McIntosh County, 2001–2001.
Old photos of Darien after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Darien archive →Get ready for what Darien faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Darien
Is Darien at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Darien has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (78%) and river and rain flooding (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Darien flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Darien since 2017, $82K 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 Irma (1).
Is Darien 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 McIntosh County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 7.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Darien?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Darien’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 Darien?
By FEMA money that reached Darien, Hurricane Helene (2024): 519 households applied for aid, $707K approved, and $210K to the City of Darien for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 1 paid, $80K.
Is Darien at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Darien’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Darien.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Darien’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.