Photo: DanTD · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Brookridge faces more hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brookridge gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #260 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (48%), then river and rain flooding (47%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2012.
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 Brookridge 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 Brookridge’s grade
Hurricanes are 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brookridge, and Brookridge’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 47% (higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #260 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brookridge’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Brookridge has less expected damage per building than 59% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Brookridge: $927K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brookridge flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2012
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brookridge, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Debby5 claims · $184K
Brookridge isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hernando County.The storms Brookridge remembers
None of the 29 disasters declared for Hernando County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brookridge itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20125 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Debby, declared for Hernando County
Hernando County has had 29 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 Hernando County, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Brookridge after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brookridge archive →Brookridge and its neighbors
Brookridge 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Point | Cmore damage than 68% | hurricanes | — |
| Brookridge | C−more damage than 76% | hurricanes | 5 |
| Spring Hill | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
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 Brookridge 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Brookridge
Is Brookridge at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brookridge has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #260 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (48%) and river and rain flooding (47%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Brookridge flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Brookridge since 2012, $184K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Debby (5).
Is Brookridge 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 Hernando County, 54% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brookridge?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brookridge’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 Brookridge?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Debby: 5 paid, $184K.
Is Brookridge at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Brookridge’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brookridge.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brookridge’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.