Natural hazards · Cheval

Cheval, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Cheval comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2004. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Cheval?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Cheval to be higher than in 57% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes40%Inland flooding27%Tornadoes16%Cold waves11%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Cheval faces

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

Hurricanes

40% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Inland flooding

27% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 24% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingIce stormsWinter weatherDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Cheval flood?

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

6paid claims since 2004

$97Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20042026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irma: 3 claims, $66K
Hurricane Milton: 1 claim, $22K
Hurricane Frances: 1 claim, $8K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Hillsborough County.

Disasters that hit Cheval

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Cheval itself: aid to households, or repair grants to Cheval.

Brought FEMA money into ChevalDeclared for Hillsborough County only

2017

Hurricane Irma

6 households applied for aid

Hillsborough County has had 41 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Cheval

Cheval and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Keystonemostly inland floodingHigh

Lutzmostly hurricanesHigh

Northdalemostly hurricanesHigh

Chevalmostly hurricanesModerate

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. Cheval covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Cheval’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Cheval. 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 Cheval total about $3.1M 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.