Photo: Okayfurry119 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Atlantic Beach than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Atlantic Beach gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (81%), then coastal flooding (13%). Flood insurance has paid 720 claims here since 1980.
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 Atlantic Beach’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Atlantic Beach faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
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.
What’s behind Atlantic Beach’s grade
Hurricanes are 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Atlantic Beach, and Atlantic Beach’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 13%, 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).
All of Atlantic Beach’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.2M a year in losses across Atlantic Beach: $8.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Atlantic Beach flood? Yes: 720 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Atlantic Beach, from FEMA’s records: 138.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Florence204 claims · $6.6M
- Hurricane Irene119 claims · $2.5M
- Hurricane Fran67 claims · $693K
Atlantic Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Carteret County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Atlantic Beach
Disasters that paid out in Atlantic Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Atlantic Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Florence448 households applied for aid$270K aid approved$909K to the Town of Atlantic Beach for repairs204 flood claims paid for it, $6.6M
- 2011Hurricane Irene37 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$186K to the Town of Atlantic Beach for repairs119 flood claims paid for it, $2.5M
- 2010Hurricane Earl$14K to the Town of Atlantic Beach for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$175K to the Town of Atlantic Beach for repairs60 flood claims paid for it, $1.0M
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$9K to the Town of Atlantic Beach for repairs60 flood claims paid for it, $1.0M
- 2003Hurricane Isabel12 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$22K to the Town of Atlantic Beach for repairs12 flood claims paid that year
Show all 8
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$97K to the Town of Atlantic Beach for repairs60 flood claims paid for it, $596K
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$10K to the Town of Atlantic Beach for repairs
Carteret 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 Atlantic Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Atlantic Beach archive →Atlantic Beach and its neighbors
Atlantic Beach is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Knoll Shores | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 144 |
| Atlantic Beach | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 720 |
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 Atlantic Beach 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Atlantic Beach 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 Atlantic Beach
Is Atlantic Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Atlantic Beach has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (81%) and coastal flooding (13%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Atlantic Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 720 claims in Atlantic Beach since 1980, $13.2M in all, or 138.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 109 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (204).
Is Atlantic Beach 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 Carteret County, 52% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 21.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Atlantic Beach?
Atlantic Beach 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 Atlantic Beach?
By FEMA money that reached Atlantic Beach, Hurricane Florence (2018): 448 households applied for aid, $270K approved, and $909K to the Town of Atlantic Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 204 paid, $6.6M.
Is Atlantic Beach at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Atlantic Beach’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Atlantic Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Atlantic Beach’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.