Flood history · Buxton, NC 27920
Flood insurance claims in Buxton, NC 27920
1,559 claims since 1980 and $22.0 million paid. Here's what the public record shows, and how to check a specific address.
Claims by year
Every NFIP flood insurance claim reported in ZIP 27920 since 1978.
What the record says
Almost all claims here (99%) were on properties in high-risk zones (A or V). In those zones, federally regulated lenders require flood insurance.
Losses are spread across many events; the largest, Hurricane Emily, accounts for 10% of claims.
Flooding here is recent: 614 claims (39%) were in the last 10 years.
The most commonly recorded cause is tidal water overflow: coastal surge and high tides.
Dare County* takes part in FEMA's Community Rating System (class 6), which can lower flood insurance premiums by up to 20% in high-risk zones.
Biggest flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Emily | 1993 | 155 | 10% |
| Hurricane Isabel | 2003 | 97 | 6% |
| Hurricane Matthew | 2016 | 62 | 4% |
| Hurricane Dennis | 1999 | 61 | 4% |
| 2025-08-Erin-HU | 2025 | 50 | 3% |
| Hurricane Sandy | 2012 | 45 | 3% |
Flood zone at time of claim
NFIP communities
Federal disaster declarations in Dare County
Flood, hurricane and storm declarations since 2000.
19 flood, storm or hurricane declarations for Dare County since 2000.
Check a specific address in Buxton.
ZIP-level history is the backdrop. See the official FEMA flood zone, ground elevation and next steps for one property, free.
Sources: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) and Disaster Declarations Summaries, FEMA NFIP Community Status Book; place names from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Data as of 2026-10-09. Payments are net building + contents payments in dollars at the time paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims are grouped by the ZIP code reported on the claim. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA. Information only; not an official flood zone determination or insurance advice.
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