FEMA puts Beacon Square’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 66% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beacon Square gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #138 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (48%), then river and rain flooding (40%). Flood insurance has paid 416 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Beacon Square’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Beacon Square 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
Coastal flooding
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 Beacon Square’s grade
Hurricanes are 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Beacon Square, and Beacon Square’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 6%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C #138 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Beacon Square’s residents live in 3 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, Beacon Square has less expected damage per building than 78% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Beacon Square: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Beacon Square flood? Yes: 416 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Beacon Square, from FEMA’s records: 98.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene279 claims · $44.1M
- Tropical Storm Debby40 claims · $617K
- The Blizzard of 199314 claims · $25K
Beacon Square isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pasco County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Beacon Square
Disasters that paid out in Beacon Square itself (aid to households or repair grants to Beacon Square), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Irma4 households applied for aid$500 aid approved7 flood claims paid that year
Pasco County has had 33 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pasco County, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Beacon Square after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Beacon Square archive →Beacon Square and its neighbors
Beacon Square is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elfers | C+more damage than 63% | hurricanes | 57 |
| New Port Richey | C+more damage than 64% | hurricanes | 1,017 |
| Beacon Square | Cmore damage than 66% | hurricanes | 416 |
| Holiday | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 351 |
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 Beacon Square 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Beacon Square
Is Beacon Square at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beacon Square has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #138 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (48%) and river and rain flooding (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Beacon Square flood?
Flood insurance has paid 416 claims in Beacon Square since 1979, $45.4M in all, or 98.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (279).
Is Beacon Square 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 Pasco County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 10.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Beacon Square?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Beacon Square’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 Beacon Square?
By FEMA money that reached Beacon Square, Hurricane Irma (2017): 4 households applied for aid, $500 approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 279 paid, $44.1M.
Is Beacon Square at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Beacon Square’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Beacon Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Beacon Square’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.