Natural hazards · Ponce de Leon

Ponce de Leon, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ponce de Leon comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Ponce de Leon?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ponce de Leon to be higher than in 95% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes57%Inland flooding28%Tornadoes8%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Ponce de Leon faces

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

Hurricanes

57% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Inland flooding

28% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 15 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 Ponce de Leon flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ponce de Leon.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Holmes County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

20flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

2homes raised above flood level

Disasters that hit Ponce de Leon

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Ponce de Leon itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Ponce de Leon.

Brought FEMA money into Ponce de LeonDeclared for Holmes County only

2022

Hurricane Ian

2 households applied for aid $1K aid approved

2020

Hurricane Sally

10 households applied for aid $38K aid approved

2018

Hurricane Michael

118 households applied for aid $24K aid approved

2014

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

21 households applied for aid $23K aid approved

2009

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

16 households applied for aid $76K aid approved $12K to the Town of Ponce de Leon for repairs

2005

Hurricane Dennis

24 households applied for aid $9K aid approved

2004

Hurricane Ivan

247 households applied for aid $411K aid approved $10K to the Town of Ponce de Leon for repairs

Holmes County has had 31 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. Ponce de Leon 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 Ponce de Leon’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Ponce de Leon. 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.