Natural hazards · Medulla

Medulla, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Medulla comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1997. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Medulla?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Medulla to be higher than in 73% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes39%Inland flooding38%Strong wind11%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Medulla faces

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

Hurricanes

39% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Inland flooding

38% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

11% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 Medulla flood?

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

30paid claims since 1997

$2.3Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19972026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Milton: 9 claims, $1.4M
Hurricane Irma: 4 claims, $528K
Hurricane Frances: 3 claims, $129K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Polk County.

Disasters that hit Medulla

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into MedullaDeclared for Polk County only

2017

Hurricane Irma

1 household applied for aid

Polk County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and fires.

Around Medulla

Medulla and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Willow Oakmostly hurricanesHigh

Medullamostly hurricanesHigh

Fuller Heightsmostly hurricanesHigh

Lakeland Highlandsmostly hurricanesHigh

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. Medulla covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Medulla’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Medulla. 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 Medulla total about $2.1M 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.