Photo: NC Aquarium PKS · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Pine Knoll Shores than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Knoll Shores gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (91%). Flood insurance has paid 144 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 Pine Knoll Shores’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Pine Knoll Shores 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 Pine Knoll Shores’ grade
Hurricanes are 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pine Knoll Shores, and Pine Knoll Shores’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 3%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pine Knoll Shores’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.8M a year in losses across Pine Knoll Shores: $6.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pine Knoll Shores flood? Yes: 144 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pine Knoll Shores, from FEMA’s records: 68.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Florence43 claims · $901K
- Hurricane Floyd18 claims · $511K
- Hurricane Fran12 claims · $152K
Pine Knoll Shores is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Carteret County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pine Knoll Shores
Disasters that paid out in Pine Knoll Shores itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Isaias$49K to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$234K to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
- 2018Hurricane Florence61 households applied for aid$21K aid approved$9.7M to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs43 flood claims paid for it, $901K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew$27K to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene2 households applied for aid$2.6M to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $57K
- 2010Hurricane Earl$8K to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
Show all 11
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$2.7M to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $45K
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$6K to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $45K
- 2003Hurricane Isabel$45K to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$259K to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs18 flood claims paid for it, $511K
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$46K to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $21K
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 Pine Knoll Shores after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pine Knoll Shores archive →Pine Knoll Shores and its neighbors
Pine Knoll Shores 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Knoll Shores | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 144 |
| Atlantic Beach | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 720 |
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 Pine Knoll Shores 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.
- Pine Knoll Shores 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 Pine Knoll Shores
Is Pine Knoll Shores at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Knoll Shores has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (91%) and river and rain flooding (5%). 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 Pine Knoll Shores flood?
Flood insurance has paid 144 claims in Pine Knoll Shores since 1985, $2.3M in all, or 68.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Florence (43).
Is Pine Knoll Shores 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 Pine Knoll Shores?
Pine Knoll Shores 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 Pine Knoll Shores?
By FEMA money that reached Pine Knoll Shores, Hurricane Florence (2018): 61 households applied for aid, $21K approved, and $9.7M to the Town of Pine Knoll Shores for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Florence: 43 paid, $901K.
Is Pine Knoll Shores at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Pine Knoll Shores’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pine Knoll Shores.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pine Knoll Shores’ 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.