Storms, floods and disasters in Aurora
Aurora isn’t graded for hazard risk: Aurora has 560 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1998.
What Aurora 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 Aurora flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aurora, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene17 claims · $435K
- Hurricane Dennis5 claims · $10K
- Hurricane Florence3 claims · $42K
Aurora isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Beaufort County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Aurora
Disasters that paid out in Aurora itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Aurora), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$26K to the Town of Aurora for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence146 households applied for aid$162K aid approved$80K to the Town of Aurora for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $42K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew14 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$27K to the Town of Aurora for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene586 households applied for aid$2.6M aid approved$116K to the Town of Aurora for repairs17 flood claims paid for it, $435K
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds5 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2003Hurricane Isabel80 households applied for aid$51K aid approved$13K to the Town of Aurora for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
Show all 8
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$25K to the Town of Aurora for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$4K to the Town of Aurora for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $10K
Beaufort County has had 23 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 Aurora after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Aurora archive →Get ready for what Aurora 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Aurora
Does Aurora flood?
Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Aurora since 1998, $510K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (17).
Is Aurora 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 Beaufort County, 56% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Aurora?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Aurora’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 Aurora?
By FEMA money that reached Aurora, Hurricane Irene (2011): 586 households applied for aid, $2.6M approved, and $116K to the Town of Aurora for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 17 paid, $435K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Aurora.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Aurora’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.