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Ave Maria Florida Town Aerial ViewPhoto: Unknown authorUnknown author · CC BY 4.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ave Maria · FEMA

FEMA puts Ave Maria’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 98% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ave Maria gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #627 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%), then hurricanes (46%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 47%Hurricanes 46%Wildfire 6%

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

more than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#627 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
D−#627 of 638
in Florida · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
47% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 36 declared for Collier County
By hazard

What Ave Maria faces

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

River and rain flooding

47%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

46%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Wildfire

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Cold waves top 0% Tornadoes Lightning Coastal flooding Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Heat waves Landslides top 4%
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 62% of Ave Maria’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.6%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Ave Maria’s grade

River and rain flooding is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ave Maria, and Ave Maria’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 46%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ave Maria sits
Ave Maria
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #627 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Ave Maria’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding47%Hurricanes46%Wildfire6%Everything else1%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ave Maria has more expected damage per building than 98% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $21.1M a year in losses across Ave Maria: $5.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 271 aid registrations from Ave Maria addresses (the town has 3,116 homes).
Shared tract.All of Ave Maria’s 6,242 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Ave Maria flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ave Maria. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Ave Maria isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Collier County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ave Maria

Disasters that paid out in Ave Maria itself (aid to households or repair grants to Ave Maria), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton38 households applied for aid$770 aid approved
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene8 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  3. 2022Hurricane Ian122 households applied for aid$26K aid approved
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma271 households applied for aid$62K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Ave MariaCollier County only

Collier County has had 36 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 7 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Collier County, 1999–2020.

Were you here?

Old photos of Ave Maria after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Ave Maria archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ave Maria faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Ave Maria

Is Ave Maria at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ave Maria has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #627 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%) and hurricanes (46%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Ave Maria 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 Collier County, 29.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Ave Maria?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ave Maria’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 Ave Maria?

By FEMA money that reached Ave Maria, Hurricane Irma (2017): 271 households applied for aid, $62K approved.

Is Ave Maria at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Ave Maria’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ave Maria.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ave Maria’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.