On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Cape Carteret, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cape Carteret gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (85%). Flood insurance has paid 149 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 Cape Carteret’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Cape Carteret 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 Cape Carteret’s grade
Hurricanes are 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cape Carteret, and Cape Carteret’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 3%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cape Carteret’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across Cape Carteret: $3.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cape Carteret flood? Yes: 149 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cape Carteret, from FEMA’s records: 113.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Florence71 claims · $1.8M
- Hurricane Floyd17 claims · $221K
- Hurricane Fran17 claims · $211K
Cape Carteret is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Carteret County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cape Carteret
Disasters that paid out in Cape Carteret itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cape Carteret), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$7K to the Town of Cape Carteret for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2018Hurricane Florence178 households applied for aid$142K aid approved$895K to the Town of Cape Carteret for repairs71 flood claims paid for it, $1.8M
- 2016Hurricane Matthew1 households applied for aid$849 aid approved$47K to the Town of Cape Carteret for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Hurricane Irene6 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$132K to the Town of Cape Carteret for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$42K to the Town of Cape Carteret for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $187K
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$1K to the Town of Cape Carteret for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $187K
Show all 9
- 2003Hurricane Isabel2 households applied for aid$21K to the Town of Cape Carteret for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$55K to the Town of Cape Carteret for repairs17 flood claims paid for it, $221K
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$7K to the Town of Cape Carteret 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 Cape Carteret after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cape Carteret archive →Cape Carteret and its neighbors
Cape Carteret 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Point | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 121 |
| Cape Carteret | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 149 |
| Bogue | — | 756 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Peletier | — | not graded yet | |
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 Cape Carteret 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.
- Cape Carteret 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 Cape Carteret
Is Cape Carteret at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cape Carteret has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (85%) and river and rain flooding (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cape Carteret flood?
Flood insurance has paid 149 claims in Cape Carteret since 1996, $2.9M in all, or 113.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 15 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (71).
Is Cape Carteret 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 Cape Carteret?
Cape Carteret 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 Cape Carteret?
By FEMA money that reached Cape Carteret, Hurricane Florence (2018): 178 households applied for aid, $142K approved, and $895K to the Town of Cape Carteret for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 71 paid, $1.8M.
Is Cape Carteret at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Cape Carteret’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cape Carteret.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cape Carteret’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.