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Belle Glade, Florida (2010)Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Belle Glade · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Belle Glade as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belle Glade gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #82 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (68%), then river and rain flooding (29%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2004.

Hurricanes 68%River and rain flooding 29%Tornadoes 2%

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 59%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#82 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C+#82 of 638
in Florida · higher than 59% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2004 · $27K
Disasters paid out here
11
of 29 declared for Palm Beach County
By hazard

What Belle Glade faces

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

Hurricanes

68%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

29%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Lightning top 2% Strong wind Cold waves Hail Earthquakes 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 Belle Glade’s grade

Hurricanes are 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Belle Glade, and Belle Glade’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 29% (lower than 91% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Belle Glade sits
Belle Glade
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #82 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Belle Glade’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes68%River and rain flooding29%Everything else4%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Belle Glade has less expected damage per building than 87% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.5M a year in losses across Belle Glade: $3.5M 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 5,762 aid registrations from Belle Glade addresses (the town has 6,340 homes).
A firm figure. It combines 7 census tracts by where Belle Glade’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 Belle Glade flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belle Glade, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 2 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20042008
20042026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Fay1 claim · $2K
  • Hurricane Jeanne1 claim · $955
  • Hurricane Frances1 claim · $24K
3
paid claims since 2004
$27K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Palm Beach County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belle Glade

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton754 households applied for aid$248K aid approved$94K to the City of Belle Glade for repairs
  2. 2022Hurricane Ian1,657 households applied for aid$627K aid approved
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma5,762 households applied for aid$3.2M aid approved$765K to the City of Belle Glade for repairs
  4. 2016Hurricane Matthew$30K to the City of Belle Glade for repairs
  5. 2008Tropical Storm Fay$2K to the City of Belle Glade for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
  6. 2005Hurricane Wilma4,755 households applied for aid$10.4M aid approved$5.7M to the City of Belle Glade for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2004Hurricane Jeanne3,054 households applied for aid$6.7M aid approved$402K to the City of Belle Glade for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $955
  2. 2004Hurricane Ivan170 households applied for aid$48K aid approved
  3. 2004Hurricane Frances2,739 households applied for aid$4.3M aid approved$1.2M to the City of Belle Glade for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $24K
  4. 1999Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req$790K to the City of Belle Glade for repairs
  5. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$15K to the City of Belle Glade for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Belle GladePalm Beach County only

Palm Beach County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter 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 Palm Beach County, 1999–1999.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Belle Glade archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Belle Glade faces

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

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 Belle Glade

Is Belle Glade at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belle Glade has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #82 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (68%) and river and rain flooding (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Belle Glade flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Belle Glade since 2004, $27K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Fay (1).

Is Belle Glade 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 Palm Beach County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Belle Glade?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Belle Glade’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 Belle Glade?

By FEMA money that reached Belle Glade, Hurricane Wilma (2005): 4,755 households applied for aid, $10.4M approved, and $5.7M to the City of Belle Glade for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Fay: 1 paid, $2K.

Is Belle Glade at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Belle Glade’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belle Glade.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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