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SeagullOverWavePhoto: Chris Currivan · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sunset Beach · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Sunset Beach faces more hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sunset Beach gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #241 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (80%), then river and rain flooding (11%). Flood insurance has paid 72 claims here since 1981.

Hurricanes 80%River and rain flooding 11%Coastal flooding 4%

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

more than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#241 of 290 in North Carolina
Hazard risk
D−#241 of 290
in North Carolina · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
72
paid since 1981 · $748K
Flooded more than once
4
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
20% off
Community discount (class 6)

What stands out about Sunset Beach’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

20% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Sunset Beach residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6).Coastal flooding: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 4.2% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants1 building retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.Remembers 199913 flood claims were paid for 1999 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Sunset Beach faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

80%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

11%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Coastal flooding top 2% Tornadoes Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Strong wind Lightning Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Sunset Beach’s grade

Hurricanes are 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sunset Beach, and Sunset Beach’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 4%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sunset Beach sits
Sunset Beach
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #241 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Sunset Beach’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes80%River and rain flooding11%Coastal flooding4%Everything else4%

The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sunset Beach has more expected damage per building than 83% of North Carolina towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.4M a year in losses across Sunset Beach: $7.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Sunset Beach covers 5 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Sunset Beach flood? Sometimes: 72 flood claims since 1981

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sunset Beach, from FEMA’s records: 13.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1981: 2 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 2 claims1984: 2 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 2 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 10 claims1990: 2 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 4 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 2 claims1999: 13 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 2 claims2015: 5 claims2016: 4 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 6 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 5 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 4 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198919992018
19812026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Floyd12 claims · $120K
  • Hurricane Hugo10 claims · $27K
  • The October severe storms5 claims · $59K
72
paid claims since 1981
$748K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount20% off flood insurance

Sunset Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Brunswick County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sunset Beach

Disasters that paid out in Sunset Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Sunset Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Tropical Storm Debby$10K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2022Hurricane Ian$13K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $50K
  3. 2020Hurricane Isaias$34K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $60K
  4. 2018Hurricane Florence97 households applied for aid$45K aid approved$175K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2016Hurricane Matthew21 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$199K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2011Hurricane Irene3 households applied for aid$13K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs
Show all 12
  1. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2008Tropical Storm Hanna$25K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs
  3. 2005Hurricane Ophelia$34K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs
  4. 2005Hurricane Ophelia$2K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs
  5. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$237K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs12 flood claims paid for it, $120K
  6. 1999Hurricane Dennis$3K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Sunset BeachBrunswick County only

Brunswick County has had 25 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Brunswick County, 2025–2025.

Were you here?

Old photos of Sunset Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Sunset Beach archive →
Next door

Sunset Beach and its neighbors

Sunset Beach has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Calabash: hazard risk D−CalabashSunset Beach
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Sunset BeachD−more damage than 96%hurricanes72
CalabashD−more damage than 96%hurricanes5

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Sunset Beach faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
  • Sunset Beach residents get 20% off flood insurance.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Sunset Beach

Is Sunset Beach at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sunset Beach has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #241 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (80%) and river and rain flooding (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Sunset Beach flood?

Flood insurance has paid 72 claims in Sunset Beach since 1981, $748K in all, or 13.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (12).

Is Sunset Beach 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 Brunswick County, 78% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 21.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Sunset Beach?

Sunset Beach 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 Sunset Beach?

By FEMA money that reached Sunset Beach, Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations (1999): $237K to the Town of Sunset Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 12 paid, $120K.

Is Sunset Beach at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Sunset Beach’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sunset Beach.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sunset Beach’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.