Photo: Bz3rk · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Morehead City than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morehead City gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #287 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (90%). Flood insurance has paid 359 claims here since 1985.
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 Morehead City’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Morehead City 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 Morehead City’s grade
Hurricanes are 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Morehead City, and Morehead City’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 3%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #287 of 290 in North Carolina; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Morehead City’s residents live in 9 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, Morehead City has more expected damage per building than 99% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $18.9M a year in losses across Morehead City: $17.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Morehead City flood? Yes: 359 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Morehead City, from FEMA’s records: 55.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Florence182 claims · $6.8M
- Hurricane Ophelia62 claims · $590K
- Hurricane Floyd21 claims · $230K
Morehead City is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Carteret County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Morehead City
Disasters that paid out in Morehead City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Morehead City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Isaias$27K to the Town of Morehead City for repairs
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$192K to the Town of Morehead City for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2018Hurricane Florence1,623 households applied for aid$947K aid approved$2.1M to the Town of Morehead City for repairs182 flood claims paid for it, $6.8M
- 2016Hurricane Matthew6 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$28K to the Town of Morehead City for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Hurricane Irene145 households applied for aid$98K aid approved$162K to the Town of Morehead City for repairs12 flood claims paid for it, $190K
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$124K to the Town of Morehead City for repairs62 flood claims paid for it, $590K
Show all 10
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$11K to the Town of Morehead City for repairs62 flood claims paid for it, $590K
- 2003Hurricane Isabel55 households applied for aid$26K aid approved$85K to the Town of Morehead City for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$327K to the Town of Morehead City for repairs21 flood claims paid for it, $230K
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$61K to the Town of Morehead City for repairs
Carteret County has had 20 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 Morehead City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Morehead City archive →Morehead City and its neighbors
Morehead City is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandywine Bay | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | — |
| Morehead City | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 359 |
| Beaufort | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 219 |
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 Morehead City 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.
- Morehead City 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 Morehead City
Is Morehead City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morehead City has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #287 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (90%) and river and rain flooding (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Morehead City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 359 claims in Morehead City since 1985, $8.7M in all, or 55.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 39 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (182).
Is Morehead City 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 Carteret County, 52% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 21.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Morehead City?
Morehead City 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 Morehead City?
By FEMA money that reached Morehead City, Hurricane Florence (2018): 1,623 households applied for aid, $947K approved, and $2.1M to the Town of Morehead City for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 182 paid, $6.8M.
Is Morehead City at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Morehead City’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Morehead City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Morehead City’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.