Photo: Rlevse · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Wachapreague
Wachapreague isn’t graded for hazard risk: Wachapreague has 306 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1980.
What Wachapreague 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 Wachapreague flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wachapreague, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Isabel5 claims · $48K
- Tropical Storm Ernesto5 claims · $135K
- The November 2009 nor’easter3 claims · $76K
Wachapreague is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Accomack County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wachapreague
Disasters that paid out in Wachapreague itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Wachapreague), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Tropical Depression Ernesto, Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the Town of Wachapreague for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $135K
- 2003Hurricane Isabel3 households applied for aid$981 aid approved$6K to the Town of Wachapreague for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $48K
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 Wachapreague after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wachapreague archive →Get ready for what Wachapreague 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.
- Wachapreague 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 Wachapreague
Does Wachapreague flood?
Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Wachapreague since 1980, $430K in all. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isabel (5).
Is Wachapreague 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 Wachapreague?
Wachapreague 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 Wachapreague?
By FEMA money that reached Wachapreague, Tropical Depression Ernesto, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $7K to the Town of Wachapreague for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Isabel: 5 paid, $48K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wachapreague.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wachapreague’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.