Natural hazards · Florida Ridge

Florida Ridge, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Florida Ridge comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 57 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Florida Ridge?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Florida Ridge to be higher than in 98% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes80%Inland flooding15%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Florida Ridge faces

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

Hurricanes

80% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Inland flooding

15% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Ice stormsWinter weatherAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Florida Ridge flood?

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

57paid claims since 1979

$921Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Frances: 21 claims, $496K
Hurricane Jeanne: 14 claims, $83K
Hurricane Wilma: 3 claims, $12K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Indian River County.

Disasters that hit Florida Ridge

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Indian River County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Florida Ridge itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Florida RidgeDeclared for Indian River County only

Indian River County has had 27 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and fires.

Around Florida Ridge

Florida Ridge and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Florida Ridgemostly hurricanesVery high

Vero Beach Southmostly hurricanesVery high

South Beachmostly hurricanesVery high

Lakewood Parkmostly hurricanesVery high

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. Florida Ridge covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Florida Ridge’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Florida Ridge. 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 Florida Ridge total about $14.8M 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.