Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Jswfl09 assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Bonita Springs than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bonita Springs gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #569 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (64%), then river and rain flooding (30%). Flood insurance has paid 2,328 claims here since 1995.
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 Bonita Springs’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bonita Springs 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
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 Bonita Springs’ grade
Hurricanes are 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bonita Springs, and Bonita Springs’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 5%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D #569 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bonita Springs’ residents live in 17 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, Bonita Springs has more expected damage per building than 89% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $48.4M a year in losses across Bonita Springs: $44.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bonita Springs flood? Yes: 2,328 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bonita Springs, from FEMA’s records: 58.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ian1,613 claims · $247M
- Hurricane Irma265 claims · $12.0M
- Hurricane Milton256 claims · $17.8M
Bonita Springs is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Lee County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bonita Springs
Disasters that paid out in Bonita Springs itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bonita Springs), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton1,452 households applied for aid$935K aid approved$567K to the City of Bonita Springs for repairs256 flood claims paid for it, $17.8M
- 2024Hurricane Helene309 households applied for aid$502K aid approved$65K to the City of Bonita Springs for repairs113 flood claims paid for it, $11.6M
- 2022Hurricane Ian6,653 households applied for aid$22.8M aid approved$9.0M to the City of Bonita Springs for repairs1,613 flood claims paid for it, $247M
- 2017Hurricane Irma8,716 households applied for aid$6.7M aid approved$7.7M to the City of Bonita Springs for repairs265 flood claims paid for it, $12.0M
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay248 households applied for aid$857K aid approved$18K to the City of Bonita Springs for repairs8 flood claims paid for it, $96K
- 2005Hurricane Wilma1,440 households applied for aid$560K aid approved$680K to the City of Bonita Springs for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Show all 9
- 2004Hurricane Ivan13 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances36 households applied for aid$26K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley337 households applied for aid$153K aid approved$39K to the City of Bonita Springs for repairs
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 Bonita Springs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bonita Springs archive →Bonita Springs and its neighbors
Bonita Springs is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers Beach | Dmore damage than 93% | hurricanes | 3,046 |
| Bonita Springs | Dmore damage than 95% | hurricanes | 2,328 |
| Estero | D−more damage than 95% | hurricanes | 188 |
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 Bonita Springs 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.
- 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.
- Bonita Springs residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Bonita Springs
Is Bonita Springs at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bonita Springs has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #569 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (64%) and river and rain flooding (30%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bonita Springs flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2,328 claims in Bonita Springs since 1995, $290M in all, or 58.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 295 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (1,613).
Is Bonita Springs 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 Bonita Springs?
Bonita Springs is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Bonita Springs?
By FEMA money that reached Bonita Springs, Hurricane Ian (2022): 6,653 households applied for aid, $22.8M approved, and $9.0M to the City of Bonita Springs for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 1,613 paid, $247M.
Is Bonita Springs at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Bonita Springs’ rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bonita Springs.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bonita Springs’ 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.