Poplar Grove · Photo: BSLRed · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Porters Neck faces more hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Porters Neck gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #261 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (71%), then river and rain flooding (21%). Flood insurance has paid 594 claims here since 1981.
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 Porters Neck’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Porters Neck 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 Porters Neck’s grade
Hurricanes are 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Porters Neck, and Porters Neck’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 5%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #261 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Porters Neck’s 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, Porters Neck has more expected damage per building than 90% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.5M a year in losses across Porters Neck: $10.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Porters Neck flood? Yes: 594 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Porters Neck, from FEMA’s records: 170.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Fran281 claims · $10.5M
- Hurricane Floyd123 claims · $2.7M
- Hurricane Florence107 claims · $2.2M
Porters Neck isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: New Hanover County.The storms Porters Neck remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for New Hanover County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Porters Neck itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 1996288 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Fran, declared for New Hanover County
- 1999126 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations, declared for New Hanover County
- 2018109 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Florence, declared for New Hanover County
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 Porters Neck after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Porters Neck archive →Porters Neck and its neighbors
Porters Neck is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Porters Neck 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Porters Neck
Is Porters Neck at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Porters Neck has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #261 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (71%) and river and rain flooding (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Porters Neck flood?
Flood insurance has paid 594 claims in Porters Neck since 1981, $16.4M in all, or 170.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Fran (281).
Is Porters Neck 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 Porters Neck?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Porters Neck’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Porters Neck?
By flood claims, Hurricane Fran: 281 paid, $10.5M.
Is Porters Neck at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Porters Neck’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Porters Neck.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Porters Neck’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.