Photo: Townofduck · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Duck
Duck isn’t graded for hazard risk: Duck has 669 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 127 claims here since 1993.
What Duck 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.
Does Duck flood? Yes: 127 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Duck, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Matthew47 claims · $857K
- Hurricane Irene37 claims · $702K
- Hurricane Michael11 claims · $150K
Duck is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Dare County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Duck
Disasters that paid out in Duck itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Duck), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$3.3M to the Town of Duck for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2018Tropical Storm Michael$86K to the Town of Duck for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $150K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew14 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$22K to the Town of Duck for repairs47 flood claims paid for it, $857K
- 2011Hurricane Irene18 households applied for aid$214K to the Town of Duck for repairs37 flood claims paid for it, $702K
- 2003Hurricane Isabel4 households applied for aid$76K to the Town of Duck for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $4K
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.
Old photos of Duck after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Duck archive →Get ready for what Duck 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.
- Duck residents get 20% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Duck
Does Duck flood?
Flood insurance has paid 127 claims in Duck since 1993, $2.3M in all. 24 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (47).
Is Duck 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 Duck?
Duck is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% 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 Duck?
By FEMA money that reached Duck, Hurricane Dorian (2019): $3.3M to the Town of Duck for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 47 paid, $857K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Duck.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Duck’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.