US Naval Ordnance Testing Facility Assembly Building · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Topsail Beach
Topsail Beach isn’t graded for hazard risk: Topsail Beach has 406 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1,793 claims here since 1978.
What Topsail 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
Coastal flooding
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.
Does Topsail Beach flood? Yes: 1,793 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Topsail Beach, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Fran690 claims · $13.5M
- Hurricane Floyd448 claims · $4.2M
- Hurricane Florence206 claims · $4.3M
Topsail Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pender County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Topsail Beach
Disasters that paid out in Topsail Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Topsail Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Isaias$1.5M to the Town of Topsail Beach for repairs
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$2.0M to the Town of Topsail Beach for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence52 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$13.8M to the Town of Topsail Beach for repairs206 flood claims paid for it, $4.3M
- 2016Hurricane Matthew2 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$6.8M to the Town of Topsail Beach for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $366K
- 2011Hurricane Irene$5.4M to the Town of Topsail Beach for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds2 households applied for aid$6K aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
Show all 10
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$78K to the Town of Topsail Beach for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Ophelia$522K to the Town of Topsail Beach for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Isabel1 households applied for aid$4K to the Town of Topsail Beach for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$2.7M to the Town of Topsail Beach for repairs448 flood claims paid for it, $4.2M
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 Topsail Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Topsail Beach archive →Topsail Beach and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surf City | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 1,490 |
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 Topsail 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.
- 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- Topsail Beach 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 Topsail Beach
Does Topsail Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,793 claims in Topsail Beach since 1978, $26.0M in all. 323 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Fran (690).
Is Topsail 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 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 Topsail Beach?
Topsail 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 Topsail Beach?
By FEMA money that reached Topsail Beach, Hurricane Florence (2018): 52 households applied for aid, $17K approved, and $13.8M to the Town of Topsail Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Fran: 690 paid, $13.5M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Topsail Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Topsail 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.