Flood history · Wilmington, NC 28409
Flood insurance claims in Wilmington, NC 28409
1,337 claims since 1979 and $17.4 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 28409 since 1978.
What the record says
79% of claims were on properties in high-risk zones and 21% outside them.
Losses are spread across many events; the largest, Hurricane Fran, accounts for 34% of claims.
218 claims were filed in the last 10 years.
The most commonly recorded cause is tidal water overflow: coastal surge and high tides.
New Hanover County* takes part in FEMA's Community Rating System (class 7), which can lower flood insurance premiums by up to 15% in high-risk zones.
Biggest flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Fran | 1996 | 448 | 34% |
| Hurricane Floyd | 1999 | 278 | 21% |
| Hurricane Bonnie | 1998 | 210 | 16% |
| Hurricane Florence | 2018 | 192 | 14% |
| Hurricane Bertha | 1996 | 38 | 3% |
| Unnamed flooding | 1987 | 22 | 2% |
Flood zone at time of claim
NFIP communities
Federal disaster declarations in New Hanover County
Flood, hurricane and storm declarations since 2000.
21 flood, storm or hurricane declarations for New Hanover County since 2000.
Check a specific address in Wilmington.
ZIP-level history is the backdrop. See the official FEMA flood zone, ground elevation and next steps for one property, free.
Nearby North Carolina ZIP codes
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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