Photo: Aurora30 at English Wikipedia · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Beaufort, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beaufort gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (89%). Flood insurance has paid 219 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 Beaufort’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Beaufort faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind Beaufort’s grade
Hurricanes are 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Beaufort, and Beaufort’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 5%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #289 of 290 in North Carolina; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Beaufort’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Beaufort has more expected damage per building than 100% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.5M a year in losses across Beaufort: $7.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Beaufort flood? Yes: 219 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Beaufort, from FEMA’s records: 64.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Florence129 claims · $3.8M
- Hurricane Ophelia12 claims · $106K
- Hurricane Floyd11 claims · $75K
Beaufort is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Carteret County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Beaufort
Disasters that paid out in Beaufort itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Beaufort), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$237K to the Town of Beaufort for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2018Hurricane Florence1,671 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$903K to the Town of Beaufort for repairs129 flood claims paid for it, $3.8M
- 2016Hurricane Matthew10 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$36K to the Town of Beaufort for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Hurricane Irene350 households applied for aid$501K aid approved$152K to the Town of Beaufort for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $60K
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$26K to the Town of Beaufort for repairs12 flood claims paid for it, $106K
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$13K to the Town of Beaufort for repairs12 flood claims paid for it, $106K
Show all 9
- 2003Hurricane Isabel466 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$29K to the Town of Beaufort for repairs10 flood claims paid for it, $199K
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$74K to the Town of Beaufort for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $75K
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$23K to the Town of Beaufort 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 Beaufort after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Beaufort archive →Beaufort and its neighbors
Beaufort 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead City | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 359 |
| Beaufort | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 219 |
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 Beaufort 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.
- 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.
- Beaufort residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Beaufort
Is Beaufort at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beaufort has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (89%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Beaufort flood?
Flood insurance has paid 219 claims in Beaufort since 1980, $5.1M in all, or 64.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 19 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (129).
Is Beaufort 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 Beaufort?
Beaufort is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% 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 Beaufort?
By FEMA money that reached Beaufort, Hurricane Florence (2018): 1,671 households applied for aid, $1.3M approved, and $903K to the Town of Beaufort for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 129 paid, $3.8M.
Is Beaufort at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Beaufort’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Beaufort.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Beaufort’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.