Natural hazards · Laurel Hill

Laurel Hill, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Laurel Hill comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Laurel Hill?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Laurel Hill to be higher than in 88% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes54%Inland flooding23%Tornadoes12%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Laurel Hill faces

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

Hurricanes

54% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Inland flooding

23% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Laurel Hill flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Laurel Hill.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Okaloosa County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

1buildings retrofitted against wind

Disasters that hit Laurel Hill

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Laurel Hill itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Laurel Hill.

Brought FEMA money into Laurel HillDeclared for Okaloosa County only

2020

Hurricane Sally

25 households applied for aid $19K aid approved

2017

Hurricane Irma

1 household applied for aid $500 aid approved

2014

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

25 households applied for aid $30K aid approved

2009

Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds

23 households applied for aid $50K aid approved $32K to the City of Laurel Hill for repairs

2005

Hurricane Dennis

38 households applied for aid $11K aid approved $22K to the City of Laurel Hill for repairs

2004

Hurricane Ivan

402 households applied for aid $443K aid approved $53K to the City of Laurel Hill for repairs

Okaloosa County has had 33 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. Laurel Hill is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Laurel Hill’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Laurel Hill. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.