Storms, floods and disasters in Alliance
Alliance isn’t graded for hazard risk: Alliance has 709 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.
What Alliance 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
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 Alliance flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Alliance, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $16K
Alliance is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pamlico County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alliance
Disasters that paid out in Alliance itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Alliance), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Florence20 households applied for aid$31K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene50 households applied for aid$188K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $16K
- 2003Hurricane Isabel17 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
Pamlico County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Alliance after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Alliance archive →Alliance and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayboro | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 54 |
| Grantsboro | — | 645 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 Alliance 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.
- 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.
- Alliance residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Alliance
Does Alliance flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Alliance since 2011, $16K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).
Is Alliance 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 Pamlico County, 63% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 26.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Alliance?
Alliance is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% 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 Alliance?
By FEMA money that reached Alliance, Hurricane Irene (2011): 50 households applied for aid, $188K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $16K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alliance.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alliance’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.