Natural hazards · Palm

Palm, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Palm comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 304 claims here since 1978. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Palm?

92
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Palm to be higher than in 92% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes71%Inland flooding22%Everything else7%
By hazard

What Palm faces

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

Hurricanes

71% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Inland flooding

22% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Ice 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 Palm flood?

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

304paid claims since 1978
$8.0Mpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Frances: 62 claims, $2.2M
  • Hurricane Jeanne: 52 claims, $673K
  • Hurricane Irene: 17 claims, $137K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Palm isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Martin County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

11buildings retrofitted against wind
1homes raised above flood level
Disasters that hit Palm

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into PalmDeclared for Martin County only
2024

Hurricane Milton

170 households applied for aid $127K aid approved
2022

Hurricane Ian

1 household applied for aid
2017

Hurricane Irma

1,058 households applied for aid $355K aid approved
2008

Tropical Storm Fay

17 households applied for aid $17K aid approved
2005

Hurricane Wilma

620 households applied for aid $251K aid approved
2004

Hurricane Jeanne

1,961 households applied for aid $1.7M aid approved
2004

Hurricane Ivan

25 households applied for aid $4K aid approved
2004

Hurricane Frances

2,214 households applied for aid $1.8M aid approved
Martin County has had 32 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and fires.
Around Palm

Palm and the towns around it

North River Shores: Very high, mostly hurricanesStuart: Very high, mostly hurricanesPort St. Lucie: Very high, mostly hurricanesJensen Beach: Very high, mostly hurricanesRio: Very high, mostly hurricanesRiver Park: Very high, mostly hurricanesWhite City: Very high, mostly hurricanesIndian River Estates: Very high, mostly hurricanesPalm City: Very high, mostly hurricanes Palm CityNorth River ShoresStuartPort St. Lucie
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Palm Citymostly hurricanesVery high
Port St. Luciemostly hurricanesVery high
North River Shoresmostly hurricanesVery high
Stuartmostly 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. Palm covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Palm’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Palm. 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 Palm total about $20.4M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01