Photo: DiscoA340 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Kure Beach’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kure Beach gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (85%), then river and rain flooding (12%). Flood insurance has paid 585 claims here since 1984.
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 Kure Beach’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Kure 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
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 Kure Beach’s grade
Hurricanes are 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kure Beach, and Kure Beach’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 12% (lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts).
D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kure Beach’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.1M a year in losses across Kure Beach: $3.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kure Beach flood? Yes: 585 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kure Beach, from FEMA’s records: 273.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Cyclone Eight161 claims · $8.4M
- Hurricane Fran137 claims · $11.1M
- Hurricane Floyd81 claims · $2.4M
Kure Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: New Hanover County.13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kure Beach
Disasters that paid out in Kure Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Kure Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight$293K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs170 flood claims paid that year
- 2020Hurricane Isaias$100K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$96K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence113 households applied for aid$21K aid approved$368K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs39 flood claims paid for it, $920K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew$186K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2011Hurricane Irene4 households applied for aid$28K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
Show all 13
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds3 households applied for aid$8K aid approved7 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Tropical Storm Hanna$22K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$12K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$20K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Isabel1 households applied for aid$21K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$148K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs81 flood claims paid for it, $2.4M
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$24K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs
New Hanover County has had 23 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 Kure Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kure Beach archive →Kure Beach and its neighbors
Kure Beach has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kure Beach | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | 585 |
| Carolina Beach | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 2,226 |
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 Kure 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.
- 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.
- Kure 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 Kure Beach
Is Kure Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kure Beach has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (85%) and river and rain flooding (12%). 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 Kure Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 585 claims in Kure Beach since 1984, $27.3M in all, or 273.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 92 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Cyclone Eight (161).
Is Kure 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 New Hanover County, 75% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 14.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kure Beach?
Kure 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 Kure Beach?
By FEMA money that reached Kure Beach, Hurricane Florence (2018): 113 households applied for aid, $21K approved, and $368K to the Town of Kure Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Cyclone Eight: 161 paid, $8.4M.
Is Kure Beach at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Kure Beach’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kure Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kure 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.