Natural hazards · Palm Valley

Palm Valley, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Palm Valley comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 76 claims here since 1979. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Palm Valley?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Palm Valley to be higher than in 62% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding60%Hurricanes23%Tornadoes6%Coastal flooding6%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Palm Valley faces

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

Inland flooding

60% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

23% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

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

Coastal flooding

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Ice stormsWinter weatherLandslidesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Valley flood?

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

76paid claims since 1979

$1.4Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Matthew: 22 claims, $821K
Tropical Storm Debby: 9 claims, $26K
Hurricane Irma: 7 claims, $111K

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: St. Johns County.

Disasters that hit Palm Valley

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into Palm ValleyDeclared for St. Johns County only

2017

Hurricane Irma

6 households applied for aid $500 aid approved

St. Johns County has had 25 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Palm Valley

Palm Valley and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Palm Valleymostly inland floodingHigh

Sawgrassmostly inland floodingHigh

Nocateemostly inland floodingModerate

Jacksonville Beachmostly inland floodingModerate

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 Valley covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Palm Valley’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Palm Valley. 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 Valley total about $8.0M 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.