Photo: Yuming Huang · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Kill Devil Hills than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kill Devil Hills gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #268 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (88%). Flood insurance has paid 1,308 claims here since 1978.
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 Kill Devil Hills’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Kill Devil Hills 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 Kill Devil Hills’ grade
Hurricanes are 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kill Devil Hills, and Kill Devil Hills’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 10% (lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
D− #268 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kill Devil Hills’ residents live in 2 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, Kill Devil Hills has more expected damage per building than 92% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.9M a year in losses across Kill Devil Hills: $10.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kill Devil Hills flood? Yes: 1,308 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kill Devil Hills, from FEMA’s records: 183.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isabel212 claims · $5.3M
- Hurricane Matthew183 claims · $3.4M
- Hurricane Irene160 claims · $2.0M
Kill Devil Hills is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Dare County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kill Devil Hills
Disasters that paid out in Kill Devil Hills itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Kill Devil Hills), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$3.1M to the Town of Kill Devil Hills for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
- 2018Tropical Storm Michael$109K to the Town of Kill Devil Hills for repairs51 flood claims paid for it, $493K
- 2018Hurricane Florence$33K to the Town of Kill Devil Hills for repairs
- 2016Hurricane Matthew328 households applied for aid$344K aid approved$320K to the Town of Kill Devil Hills for repairs183 flood claims paid for it, $3.4M
- 2011Hurricane Irene707 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$244K to the Town of Kill Devil Hills for repairs160 flood claims paid for it, $2.0M
- 2010Hurricane Earl$5K to the Town of Kill Devil Hills for repairs18 flood claims paid that year
Show all 8
- 2003Hurricane Isabel244 households applied for aid$142K aid approved$1.0M to the Town of Kill Devil Hills for repairs212 flood claims paid for it, $5.3M
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$196K to the Town of Kill Devil Hills for repairs125 flood claims paid that year
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 Kill Devil Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kill Devil Hills archive →Kill Devil Hills and its neighbors
Kill Devil Hills has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kill Devil Hills | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 1,308 |
| Kitty Hawk | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 1,608 |
| Nags Head | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 2,116 |
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 Kill Devil Hills 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.
- Kill Devil Hills residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Kill Devil Hills
Is Kill Devil Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kill Devil Hills has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #268 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (88%) and river and rain flooding (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kill Devil Hills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,308 claims in Kill Devil Hills since 1978, $18.4M in all, or 183.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 135 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (212).
Is Kill Devil Hills 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 Kill Devil Hills?
Kill Devil Hills is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% 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 Kill Devil Hills?
By FEMA money that reached Kill Devil Hills, Hurricane Dorian (2019): $3.1M to the Town of Kill Devil Hills for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 212 paid, $5.3M.
Is Kill Devil Hills at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Kill Devil Hills’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kill Devil Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kill Devil Hills’ 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.