Natural hazards · South Beach

South Beach, FL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in South Beach comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2004.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is South Beach?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in South Beach to be higher than in 97% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes.

Hurricanes87%Inland flooding8%Everything else5%

By hazard

What South Beach faces

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

Hurricanes

87% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Inland flooding

8% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 9% 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 South Beach flood?

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

5paid claims since 2004

$145Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20042026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Frances: 2 claims, $48K
Hurricane Nicole: 1 claim, $7K
Hurricane Milton: 1 claim, $86K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Indian River County.

Disasters that hit South Beach

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Indian River County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Beach itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into South BeachDeclared for Indian River County only

Indian River County has had 27 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and fires.

Around South Beach

South Beach and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Florida Ridgemostly hurricanesVery high

Vero Beach Southmostly hurricanesVery high

South Beachmostly hurricanesVery high

Vero Beachmostly 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. South Beach covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to South Beach’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to South Beach. 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 South Beach total about $7.7M 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.