Where to Find Historical Storm / Flood Data?

Question

Hi All!

Does anyone have recommendations for where to find historical storm / flood data?

I'm specifically looking at the North Carolina Coast (OBX, Atlantic Beach, Emerald Island, Ocean Isle, Oak Island, Holden Beach, Kure Beach, Surf City, Topsail, Carolina Beach, Wilmington).

Wes M. · Answer

There is no publicly available data to determine if and when a property has been flooded. In general, your best bet is to find someone with local knowledge of the area to determine if an area has ever experienced any storm related flooding. Nuisance flooding is another thing entirely.

I would use this map/data prepared by NC Emergency Management Floodplain Division to find areas that are located outside of the 100-year flood zone:

https://fris.nc.gov/fris/Home....

I am located in southeast NC, and there are areas on the island proper of Kure Beach, Carolina Beach, and Oak Island that are not subject to the 100-year flood zone. In the OBX, there are a fair number of locations that are also out of the flood zone as well. But I'm not entirely familiar with storm history.

Shoot me a PM if you have questions about anything specific in southeastern NC. We have a vacation rental in Oak Island that is not in the flood zone, but still a 2-minute walk to the beach.

Kevin Sobilo · Answer

@Bryce Jamison, since I assume your interest relates to real estate investing my advice is to look FORWARD instead of backward.

Instead of reinventing the wheel and researching what happened in the past look for information about how likely things are to happen in the future because that is what we are working to the future not the past.

For example, FEMA flood maps for flood risk info. There are different categories of flood zone depending on the risk of flooding. That gives you an idea of the risk into the future and whether you should or will be required to carry flood insurance.

https://www.fema.gov/flood-map...

As for storm data, I would reach out to an insurance agent. They might be able to tell you how these locations vary with regard to insurance costs which should give you an idea of where risks are higher.

Where to Find Historical Storm / Flood Data?

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