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Cape Hatteras Light StationCape Hatteras Light Station · Photo: Henryhartley · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Buxton · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Buxton than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buxton gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (84%), then coastal flooding (11%). Flood insurance has paid 5,690 claims here since 1978.

Hurricanes 84%Coastal flooding 11%River and rain flooding 4%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in North Carolina · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5,690
paid since 1978 · $118M
Disasters paid out here
3
of 22 declared for Dare County

What stands out about Buxton’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

5,690 paid flood claims since 1978$118M in all. More per home than 100% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 10.7% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way7 homes raised above flood level with FEMA grants.Remembers 20111,012 flood claims were paid for 2011 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Buxton faces

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

Hurricanes

84%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

Coastal flooding

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 River and rain flooding Wildfire Tornadoes Winter storms Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Buxton’s grade

Hurricanes are 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Buxton, and Buxton’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 11%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Buxton sits
Buxton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Buxton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes84%Coastal flooding11%River and rain flooding4%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.7M a year in losses across Buxton: $4.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Buxton’s 1,181 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Frisco CDP (994 residents) and Avon CDP (832 residents) and Hatteras CDP (577 residents) and Salvo CDP (303 residents) and Rodanthe CDP (213 residents) and Waves CDP (172 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Buxton flood? Yes: 5,690 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Buxton, from FEMA’s records: 5,853.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 4 claims1981: 2 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 45 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 8 claims1990: 4 claims1991: 50 claims1992: 35 claims1993: 734 claims1994: 40 claims1995: 6 claims1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 61 claims1999: 193 claims2000: 3 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 11 claims2003: 753 claims2004: 213 claims2005: 10 claims2006: 35 claims2007: 8 claims2008: 17 claims2009: 50 claims2010: 100 claims2011: 1,012 claims2012: 133 claims2013: 29 claims2014: 263 claims2015: 42 claims2016: 577 claims2017: 22 claims2018: 123 claims2019: 546 claims2020: 107 claims2021: 40 claims2022: 72 claims2023: 23 claims2024: 89 claims2025: 173 claims2026: 53 claims199320032011
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene996 claims · $21.8M
  • Hurricane Isabel752 claims · $23.5M
  • Hurricane Emily528 claims · $7.6M
5,690
paid claims since 1978
$118M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$21K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Dare County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7homes raised above flood level
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Buxton

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

  1. 2016Hurricane Matthew47 households applied for aid$46K aid approved476 flood claims paid for it, $17.8M
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene131 households applied for aid$73K aid approved996 flood claims paid for it, $21.8M
  3. 2003Hurricane Isabel69 households applied for aid$44K aid approved752 flood claims paid for it, $23.5M
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BuxtonDare County only

Dare County has had 22 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 Buxton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Buxton archive →
Next door

Buxton and its neighbors

Buxton has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Frisco: not gradedFriscoBuxton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BuxtonD−among the highest damagehurricanes5,690
Frisco—664 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 Buxton 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 ↗
When the tide surges
  • 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.
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 Buxton

Is Buxton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buxton has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (84%) and coastal flooding (11%). 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 Buxton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5,690 claims in Buxton since 1978, $118M in all, or 5,853.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (996).

Is Buxton 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 Dare County, 84% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 39.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Buxton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Buxton, Hurricane Irene (2011): 131 households applied for aid, $73K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 996 paid, $21.8M.

Is Buxton at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Buxton’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Buxton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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