Photo: Thomas Shaw · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Caswell Beach
Caswell Beach isn’t graded for hazard risk: Caswell Beach has 491 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 101 claims here since 1989.
What Caswell Beach 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
Coastal 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 Caswell Beach flood? Yes: 101 flood claims since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Caswell Beach, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Florence29 claims · $673K
- Hurricane Floyd13 claims · $268K
- Tropical Cyclone Eight10 claims · $159K
Caswell Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Brunswick County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Caswell Beach
Disasters that paid out in Caswell Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Caswell Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Isaias$99K to the Town of Caswell Beach for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $67K
- 2018Hurricane Florence4 households applied for aid$142K to the Town of Caswell Beach for repairs29 flood claims paid for it, $673K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew$20K to the Town of Caswell Beach for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Hurricane Irene$11K to the Town of Caswell Beach for repairs
- 2008Tropical Storm Hanna$5K to the Town of Caswell Beach for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$32K to the Town of Caswell Beach for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $268K
Brunswick County has had 25 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Brunswick County, 2025–2025.
Old photos of Caswell Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Caswell Beach archive →Caswell Beach and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Island | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 912 |
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 Caswell Beach 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Caswell Beach 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 Caswell Beach
Does Caswell Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 101 claims in Caswell Beach since 1989, $1.6M in all. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (29).
Is Caswell Beach 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 Brunswick County, 78% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 21.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Caswell Beach?
Caswell Beach 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 Caswell Beach?
By FEMA money that reached Caswell Beach, Hurricane Florence (2018): 4 households applied for aid, $0 approved, and $142K to the Town of Caswell Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 29 paid, $673K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Caswell Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Caswell Beach’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.