Wilmington Area Relocation from Long Island NY (houses, neighborhoods)

[Cavster9123]

are there any Flood areas to be weary about in the Wilmington Area? Is it common to have Basements in homes in this area? I would imagine that it's Hurricane Alley being that it's along the coast.

I am from Long Island in NY.

[carolinadawg2]

Hurricane force winds effect Wilmington once every 6 years. Its really not a big deal.

Look and see if the property you're interested in is in a flood plain. Maps are widely available. Again, not a big deal. I'm sure Long Island has flood zones too.

[Cavster9123]

Thanks for the input. Trying to get as much information as possible.

Does it Snow at all around there? maybe just ice once in a while??

[carolinadawg2]

Maybe a tiny bit every 2 or 3 winters. Wilmington had one storm this past February that dropped an inch of snow and then a glazing of ice. Thats about as bad as it gets.

[patriot201]

I don't think it is common to have basements in the Wilmington area, nor is it common in most coastal areas. The ground is too wet (high water table) and sandy for basements.

[BarLatGo]

Originally Posted by Cavster9123

are there any Flood areas to be weary about in the Wilmington Area? Is it common to have Basements in homes in this area? I would imagine that it's Hurricane Alley being that it's along the coast.

I am from Long Island in NY.

Lots of neighborhoods experience flooding during torrential downpours such as we had earlier this week. The city and county are working on it, with several drainage projects on the drawing board, but the actual work is lagging years behind the problem (example: a major drainage project was approved and funded for my area in 2008, but they have yet to start any actual digging).
Usually you will know what areas to be wary of by consulting the flood plain maps, but some houses that aren't in flood plains have been known to flood simply due to a lack of adequate drainage. This is rare, but still something to be conscious of when you're looking at properties.
If you're out looking at houses and see something you're interested in, don't be shy about knocking on the neighbors' doors and asking them questions. They'll give you more unbiased information than the realtor who is trying to sell you a house, and it's not a bad idea to get an early look at who you may be living beside.

Basements are impractical here.

We're often threatened by hurricanes, it's a fact of life in the coastal southeast. Still, it's not something to stay up nights fretting over. You're going to get several days advanced notice (until you're sick of it), and you'll have plenty of time to batten everything down and either clear out - if you're on the beach or it's a Cat 4 or higher, I recommend this - or ride it out.