FEMA puts Rocky Point’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rocky Point gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (71%), then river and rain flooding (22%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Rocky Point’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Rocky Point 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 Rocky Point’s grade
Hurricanes are 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rocky Point, and Rocky Point’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rocky Point’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Rocky Point: $849K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rocky Point flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rocky Point. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Rocky Point isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pender County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rocky Point
Disasters that paid out in Rocky Point itself (aid to households or repair grants to Rocky Point), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Florence1,620 households applied for aid$4.8M aid approved
- 2016Hurricane Matthew137 households applied for aid$95K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene42 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds33 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
- 2003Hurricane Isabel92 households applied for aid$55K aid approved
Pender 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 Rocky Point after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rocky Point archive →Get ready for what Rocky Point 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 Rocky Point
Is Rocky Point at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rocky Point has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (71%) and river and rain flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Rocky Point 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 Pender County, 68% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 16.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rocky Point?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rocky Point’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 Rocky Point?
By FEMA money that reached Rocky Point, Hurricane Florence (2018): 1,620 households applied for aid, $4.8M approved.
Is Rocky Point at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Rocky Point’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rocky Point.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rocky Point’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.