Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Whitemarsh Island faces more hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Whitemarsh Island gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #258 of 264 in Georgia. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (69%), then river and rain flooding (14%). Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1999.
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 stands out about Whitemarsh Island’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Whitemarsh Island 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 Whitemarsh Island’s grade
Hurricanes are 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Whitemarsh Island, and Whitemarsh Island’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 12%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #258 of 264 in Georgia; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Whitemarsh Island’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Georgia town has lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. towns; within the state, Whitemarsh Island has more expected damage per building than 98% of Georgia towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.5M a year in losses across Whitemarsh Island: $5.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Whitemarsh Island flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1999
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Whitemarsh Island, from FEMA’s records: 9.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irma25 claims · $412K
- Hurricane Matthew2 claims · $37K
Whitemarsh Island isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Chatham County.The storms Whitemarsh Island remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Chatham County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Whitemarsh Island itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201725 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irma, declared for Chatham County
- 20162 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Matthew, declared for Chatham County
- 19991 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Emergency Declarations, declared for Chatham County
Chatham County has had 12 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.
Old photos of Whitemarsh Island after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Whitemarsh Island archive →Whitemarsh Island and its neighbors
Whitemarsh Island is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington Island | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | 73 |
| Whitemarsh Island | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 29 |
| Thunderbolt | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 34 |
| Dutch Island | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | — |
| Talahi Island | — | 961 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Whitemarsh Island 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 Whitemarsh Island
Is Whitemarsh Island at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Whitemarsh Island has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #258 of 264 in Georgia. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (69%) and river and rain flooding (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Whitemarsh Island flood?
Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Whitemarsh Island since 1999, $461K in all, or 9.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (25).
Is Whitemarsh Island 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 Chatham County, 81% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 20.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Whitemarsh Island?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Whitemarsh Island’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 Whitemarsh Island?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 25 paid, $412K.
Is Whitemarsh Island at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Whitemarsh Island’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Whitemarsh Island.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Whitemarsh Island’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.