Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Alva’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alva gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #565 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (60%), then river and rain flooding (33%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Alva faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Alva’s grade
Hurricanes are 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alva, and Alva’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #565 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Alva’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Alva has more expected damage per building than 89% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Alva: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Alva flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Alva. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Alva isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lee County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alva
Disasters that paid out in Alva itself (aid to households or repair grants to Alva), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton155 households applied for aid$113K aid approved
- 2024Hurricane Helene37 households applied for aid$26K aid approved
- 2022Hurricane Ian866 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma1,204 households applied for aid$674K aid approved
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay7 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Wilma248 households applied for aid$202K aid approved
Show all 9
- 2004Hurricane Ivan5 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances47 households applied for aid$134K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley124 households applied for aid$152K aid approved
Lee County has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Lee County, 1999–2017.
Old photos of Alva after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Alva archive →Alva and its neighbors
Alva is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh Acres | Dmore damage than 91% | hurricanes | 60 |
| Olga | Dmore damage than 94% | hurricanes | 158 |
| Alva | Dmore damage than 94% | hurricanes | 0 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Alva faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Alva
Is Alva at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alva has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #565 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (60%) and river and rain flooding (33%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Alva in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Lee County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 24.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Alva?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alva’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Alva?
By FEMA money that reached Alva, Hurricane Ian (2022): 866 households applied for aid, $1.3M approved.
Is Alva at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Alva’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alva.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alva’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.