Whidden's Marina · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Bokeelia’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bokeelia gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (64%), then coastal flooding (22%). Flood insurance has paid 737 claims here since 1982.
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 Bokeelia’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bokeelia faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
River and rain 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 Bokeelia’s grade
Hurricanes are 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bokeelia, and Bokeelia’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 22%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bokeelia’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Bokeelia: $907K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bokeelia flood? Yes: 737 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bokeelia, from FEMA’s records: 527.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ian229 claims · $17.6M
- Hurricane Milton204 claims · $10.4M
- Hurricane Helene184 claims · $14.7M
Bokeelia 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.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bokeelia
Disasters that paid out in Bokeelia itself (aid to households or repair grants to Bokeelia), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton446 households applied for aid$1.6M aid approved204 flood claims paid for it, $10.4M
- 2024Hurricane Helene153 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved184 flood claims paid for it, $14.7M
- 2022Hurricane Ian1,773 households applied for aid$6.1M aid approved229 flood claims paid for it, $17.6M
- 2017Hurricane Irma560 households applied for aid$223K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay3 households applied for aid$33K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Hurricane Wilma42 households applied for aid$21K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
Show all 8
- 2004Hurricane Frances67 households applied for aid$176K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley1,491 households applied for aid$2.9M 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 Bokeelia after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bokeelia archive →Bokeelia and its neighbors
Bokeelia is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Island Center | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | — |
| Bokeelia | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 737 |
| Pineland | — | 455 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Bokeelia 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Bokeelia
Is Bokeelia at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bokeelia has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (64%) and coastal flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bokeelia flood?
Flood insurance has paid 737 claims in Bokeelia since 1982, $44.3M in all, or 527.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (229).
Is Bokeelia 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 Bokeelia?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bokeelia’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 Bokeelia?
By FEMA money that reached Bokeelia, Hurricane Ian (2022): 1,773 households applied for aid, $6.1M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 229 paid, $17.6M.
Is Bokeelia at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Bokeelia’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bokeelia.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bokeelia’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.