Storms, floods and disasters in Vandemere
Vandemere isn’t graded for hazard risk: Vandemere has 209 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 196 claims here since 1996.
What Vandemere 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
Coastal 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 Vandemere flood? Yes: 196 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Vandemere, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene59 claims · $3.4M
- Hurricane Florence45 claims · $1.6M
- Hurricane Isabel45 claims · $722K
Vandemere is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pamlico County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Vandemere
Disasters that paid out in Vandemere itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Vandemere), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$31K to the Town of Vandemere for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence52 households applied for aid$52K aid approved$119K to the Town of Vandemere for repairs45 flood claims paid for it, $1.6M
- 2011Hurricane Irene115 households applied for aid$503K aid approved$46K to the Town of Vandemere for repairs59 flood claims paid for it, $3.4M
- 2003Hurricane Isabel70 households applied for aid$140K aid approved$19K to the Town of Vandemere for repairs45 flood claims paid for it, $722K
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$22K to the Town of Vandemere for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $16K
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$6K to the Town of Vandemere for repairs25 flood claims paid for it, $586K
Pamlico 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 Vandemere after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Vandemere archive →Vandemere 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesic | — | 205 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Vandemere 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Vandemere residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Vandemere
Does Vandemere flood?
Flood insurance has paid 196 claims in Vandemere since 1996, $6.5M in all. 43 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (59).
Is Vandemere 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 Pamlico County, 63% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 26.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Vandemere?
Vandemere is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% 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 Vandemere?
By FEMA money that reached Vandemere, Hurricane Irene (2011): 115 households applied for aid, $503K approved, and $46K to the Town of Vandemere for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 59 paid, $3.4M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vandemere.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Vandemere’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.