Photo: Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Atlantic
Atlantic isn’t graded for hazard risk: Atlantic has 342 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Atlantic 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
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 Atlantic flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Atlantic. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Atlantic isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Accomack County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Atlantic
Disasters that paid out in Atlantic itself (aid to households or repair grants to Atlantic), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel4 households applied for aid$202 aid approved
Accomack County has had 15 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 Atlantic after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Atlantic archive →Atlantic 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wattsville | C−more damage than 82% | hurricanes | — |
| Temperanceville | — | 115 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 Atlantic 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.
- 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 Atlantic
Is Atlantic 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 Accomack County, 42% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Atlantic?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Atlantic’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 Atlantic?
By FEMA money that reached Atlantic, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 4 households applied for aid, $202 approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Atlantic.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Atlantic’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.