Natural hazards · Bal Harbour

Bal Harbour, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bal Harbour comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1980. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Bal Harbour?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bal Harbour to be higher than in 42% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes67%Inland flooding18%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Bal Harbour faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

67% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Inland flooding

18% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailCold wavesHeat wavesEarthquakesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Ice stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Bal Harbour flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bal Harbour, from FEMA’s records.

30paid claims since 1980

$1.6Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19802026

Biggest named events

June South Florida Flooding: 7 claims, $312K
Hurricane Irma: 6 claims, $1.0M
Hurricane Irene: 2 claims, $39K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Bal Harbour isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Dade County.

Disasters that hit Bal Harbour

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Bal Harbour itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Village of Bal Harbour.

Brought FEMA money into Bal HarbourDeclared for Dade County only

2017

Hurricane Irma

171 households applied for aid $65K aid approved $404K to the Village of Bal Harbour for repairs

2005

Hurricane Wilma

25 households applied for aid $9K aid approved $183K to the Village of Bal Harbour for repairs

2005

Hurricane Katrina

$8K to the Village of Bal Harbour for repairs

2004

Hurricane Frances

1 household applied for aid $12K to the Village of Bal Harbour for repairs

Dade County has had 35 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Bal Harbour covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bal Harbour’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Bal Harbour. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Bal Harbour total about $959K a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.