FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Bayboro than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bayboro gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (88%). Flood insurance has paid 54 claims here since 1996.
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 Bayboro’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bayboro 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.
What’s behind Bayboro’s grade
Hurricanes are 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bayboro, and Bayboro’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Lightning adds 2%, 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 Bayboro’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Bayboro: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bayboro flood? Sometimes: 54 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bayboro, from FEMA’s records: 125.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene19 claims · $501K
- Hurricane Florence16 claims · $495K
- Hurricane Dennis8 claims · $195K
Bayboro is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pamlico County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bayboro
Disasters that paid out in Bayboro itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bayboro), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Florence289 households applied for aid$372K aid approved$27K to the Town of Bayboro for repairs16 flood claims paid for it, $495K
- 2011Hurricane Irene538 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved$17K to the Town of Bayboro for repairs19 flood claims paid for it, $501K
- 2003Hurricane Isabel236 households applied for aid$422K aid approved$2K to the Town of Bayboro for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $23K
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$5K to the Town of Bayboro for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$1K to the Town of Bayboro for repairs8 flood claims paid for it, $195K
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 Bayboro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bayboro archive →Bayboro and its neighbors
Bayboro has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayboro | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 54 |
| Alliance | — | 709 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 Bayboro 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.
- Bayboro 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 Bayboro
Is Bayboro at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bayboro has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (88%) and river and rain flooding (8%). 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 Bayboro flood?
Flood insurance has paid 54 claims in Bayboro since 1996, $1.3M in all, or 125.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (19).
Is Bayboro 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 Bayboro?
Bayboro 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 Bayboro?
By FEMA money that reached Bayboro, Hurricane Irene (2011): 538 households applied for aid, $1.5M approved, and $17K to the Town of Bayboro for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 19 paid, $501K.
Is Bayboro at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Bayboro’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bayboro.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bayboro’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.