Photo: Morgan Riley; building by Cahoon & Kasten architects (2004) · CC BY 3.0FEMA puts Manteo’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Manteo gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (86%). Flood insurance has paid 266 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 Manteo’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Manteo 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 Manteo’s grade
Hurricanes are 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Manteo, and Manteo’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Manteo’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Manteo: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Manteo flood? Yes: 266 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Manteo, from FEMA’s records: 173.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene114 claims · $2.7M
- Hurricane Michael48 claims · $1.5M
- Hurricane Matthew20 claims · $331K
Manteo is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Dare County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Manteo
Disasters that paid out in Manteo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Manteo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$105K to the Town of Manteo for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
- 2018Tropical Storm Michael$48K to the Town of Manteo for repairs48 flood claims paid for it, $1.5M
- 2018Hurricane Florence$5K to the Town of Manteo for repairs
- 2016Hurricane Matthew112 households applied for aid$139K aid approved$151K to the Town of Manteo for repairs20 flood claims paid for it, $331K
- 2011Hurricane Irene379 households applied for aid$629K aid approved$402K to the Town of Manteo for repairs114 flood claims paid for it, $2.7M
- 2010Hurricane Earl$7K to the Town of Manteo for repairs
Show all 9
- 2003Hurricane Isabel180 households applied for aid$100K aid approved$125K to the Town of Manteo for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$57K to the Town of Manteo for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $223K
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$21K to the Town of Manteo for repairs
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 Manteo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Manteo archive →Get ready for what Manteo 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.
- Manteo 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 Manteo
Is Manteo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Manteo has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (86%) and river and rain flooding (8%). 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 Manteo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 266 claims in Manteo since 1978, $5.4M in all, or 173.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 49 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (114).
Is Manteo 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 Manteo?
Manteo 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 Manteo?
By FEMA money that reached Manteo, Hurricane Irene (2011): 379 households applied for aid, $629K approved, and $402K to the Town of Manteo for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 114 paid, $2.7M.
Is Manteo at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Manteo’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Manteo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Manteo’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.