Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Arapahoe

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
ArapahoePhoto: ERJ170 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Arapahoe · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Arapahoe

Arapahoe isn’t graded for hazard risk: Arapahoe has 397 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 20 declared for Pamlico County
By hazard

What Arapahoe faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

90%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 River and rain flooding Lightning top 0% Tornadoes Wildfire Coastal flooding top 4% Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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. 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.

Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Arapahoe flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Arapahoe. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Arapahoe isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Pamlico County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
8homes raised above flood level
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Arapahoe

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

  1. 2018Hurricane Florence174 households applied for aid$316K aid approved
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene133 households applied for aid$136K aid approved
  3. 2003Hurricane Isabel65 households applied for aid$61K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ArapahoePamlico County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Arapahoe after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Arapahoe archive →
Next door

Arapahoe and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Minnesott Beach: not gradedMinnesott BeachArapahoe
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Minnesott Beach—593 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Arapahoe faces

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

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 Arapahoe

Is Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe?

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

By FEMA money that reached Arapahoe, Hurricane Florence (2018): 174 households applied for aid, $316K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Arapahoe.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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