Storms, floods and disasters in Washington Park
Washington Park isn’t graded for hazard risk: Washington Park has 456 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 333 claims here since 1996.
What Washington Park 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 Washington Park flood? Yes: 333 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Washington Park, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Dennis67 claims · $1.5M
- Hurricane Florence63 claims · $2.4M
- Hurricane Irene51 claims · $847K
Washington Park is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Beaufort County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Washington Park
Disasters that paid out in Washington Park itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Washington Park), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Isaias$18K to the Town of Washington Park for repairs
- 2018Hurricane Florence$21K to the Town of Washington Park for repairs63 flood claims paid for it, $2.4M
- 2011Hurricane Irene$35K to the Town of Washington Park for repairs51 flood claims paid for it, $847K
- 2008Tropical Storm Hanna$7K to the Town of Washington Park for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Isabel$14K to the Town of Washington Park for repairs17 flood claims paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$30K to the Town of Washington Park for repairs22 flood claims paid for it, $125K
Show all 7
- 1999Hurricane Dennis$3K to the Town of Washington Park for repairs67 flood claims paid for it, $1.5M
Beaufort County has had 23 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 Washington Park after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Washington Park archive →Washington Park 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Road | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 1,695 |
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 Washington Park 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.
- Washington Park 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 Washington Park
Does Washington Park flood?
Flood insurance has paid 333 claims in Washington Park since 1996, $6.1M in all. 74 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Dennis (67).
Is Washington Park 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 Beaufort County, 56% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Washington Park?
Washington Park 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 Washington Park?
By FEMA money that reached Washington Park, Hurricane Irene (2011): $35K to the Town of Washington Park for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Dennis: 67 paid, $1.5M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Washington Park.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Washington Park’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.