Photo: Morgan Riley · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Wanchese, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wanchese gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (80%). Flood insurance has paid 136 claims here since 1985.
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 Wanchese’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Wanchese 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
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. 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 Wanchese’s grade
Hurricanes are 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wanchese, and Wanchese’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 9%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Wanchese’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Wanchese: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wanchese flood? Yes: 136 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wanchese, from FEMA’s records: 175.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene74 claims · $1.9M
- Hurricane Gloria7 claims · $20K
- Hurricane Isabel7 claims · $60K
Wanchese isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dare County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wanchese
Disasters that paid out in Wanchese itself (aid to households or repair grants to Wanchese), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Hurricane Matthew13 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene132 households applied for aid$456K aid approved74 flood claims paid for it, $1.9M
- 2003Hurricane Isabel64 households applied for aid$31K aid approved7 flood claims paid for it, $60K
Dare 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 Wanchese after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wanchese archive →Get ready for what Wanchese 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.
- 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 Wanchese
Is Wanchese at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wanchese has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (80%) and coastal flooding (9%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wanchese flood?
Flood insurance has paid 136 claims in Wanchese since 1985, $2.5M in all, or 175.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (74).
Is Wanchese 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 Dare County, 84% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 39.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wanchese?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wanchese’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 Wanchese?
By FEMA money that reached Wanchese, Hurricane Irene (2011): 132 households applied for aid, $456K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 74 paid, $1.9M.
Is Wanchese at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Wanchese’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wanchese.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wanchese’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.