Natural hazards · Capitola

Capitola, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Capitola comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2008.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Capitola?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Capitola to be higher than in 83% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding43%Hurricanes25%Cold waves16%Tornadoes11%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Capitola faces

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

Inland flooding

43% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

25% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Cold waves

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Capitola flood?

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

6paid claims since 2008

$317Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20082026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Fay: 5 claims, $266K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Leon County.

Disasters that hit Capitola

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Leon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Capitola itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into CapitolaDeclared for Leon County only

Leon County has had 29 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. Capitola covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Capitola’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Capitola. 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 Capitola total about $1.3M 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.