Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Avon Park

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Avon Park Hist Dist city hall03Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Avon Park · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Avon Park than in 81% of U.S. towns, led by strong wind

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Avon Park gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, #342 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is strong wind (35%), then hurricanes (34%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2017.

Strong wind 35%Hurricanes 34%River and rain flooding 26%

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 81%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#342 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C−#342 of 638
in Florida · higher than 81% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Strong wind
35% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2017 · $25K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
11
of 25 declared for Highlands County
By hazard

What Avon Park faces

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

Strong wind

35%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hurricanes

34%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

26%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Hail Earthquakes Cold waves top 3% Lightning Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Avon Park’s grade

Strong wind is 35% of the building damage FEMA expects in Avon Park, and Avon Park’s rate of strong wind damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 34%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Avon Park sits
Avon Park
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #342 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Avon Park’s residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Strong wind35%Hurricanes34%River and rain flooding26%Everything else5%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Avon Park has more expected damage per building than 54% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.7M a year in losses across Avon Park: $3.2M 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 5,661 aid registrations from Avon Park addresses (the town has 5,579 homes) and flood insurance paid 1 claims for $11K.
A firm figure. It combines 8 census tracts by where Avon Park’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Avon Park flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2017

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Avon Park, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20172022
20172026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irma1 claim · $11K
  • Hurricane Ian1 claim · $13K
2
paid claims since 2017
$25K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Highlands County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
6buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Avon Park

Disasters that paid out in Avon Park itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Avon Park), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton2,775 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved$35K to the City of Avon Park for repairs
  2. 2022Hurricane Ian2,364 households applied for aid$3.1M aid approved$50K to the City of Avon Park for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $13K
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma5,661 households applied for aid$2.7M aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $11K
  4. 2012Tropical Storm Debby14 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
  5. 2008Tropical Storm Fay$2K to the City of Avon Park for repairs
  6. 2005Hurricane Wilma$18K to the City of Avon Park for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2004Hurricane Jeanne1,794 households applied for aid$2.5M aid approved$300K to the City of Avon Park for repairs
  2. 2004Hurricane Ivan26 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  3. 2004Hurricane Frances638 households applied for aid$662K aid approved$70K to the City of Avon Park for repairs
  4. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley2,041 households applied for aid$1.6M aid approved$438K to the City of Avon Park for repairs
  5. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$4K to the City of Avon Park for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Avon ParkHighlands County only

Highlands County has had 25 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Highlands County, 1999–2007.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Avon Park archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Avon Park faces

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

High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Avon Park

Is Avon Park at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Avon Park has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #342 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is strong wind (35%) and hurricanes (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Avon Park flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Avon Park since 2017, $25K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (1).

Is Avon Park 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 Highlands County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Avon Park?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Avon Park’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 Avon Park?

By FEMA money that reached Avon Park, Hurricane Ian (2022): 2,364 households applied for aid, $3.1M approved, and $50K to the City of Avon Park for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 1 paid, $11K.

Is Avon Park at risk from strong wind?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (35%), and Avon Park’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Avon Park.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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