Buckingham School · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Buckingham’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buckingham gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #527 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (64%), then river and rain flooding (29%). Flood insurance has paid 140 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 Buckingham’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Buckingham 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 Buckingham’s grade
Hurricanes are 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Buckingham, and Buckingham’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #527 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Buckingham’s residents live in 4 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, Buckingham has more expected damage per building than 83% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Buckingham: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Buckingham flood? Yes: 140 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Buckingham, from FEMA’s records: 71.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irma57 claims · $3.5M
- Hurricane Ian57 claims · $4.1M
- Hurricane Milton5 claims · $520K
Buckingham 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Buckingham
Disasters that paid out in Buckingham itself (aid to households or repair grants to Buckingham), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved5 flood claims paid for it, $520K
- 2022Hurricane Ian6 households applied for aid$18K aid approved57 flood claims paid for it, $4.1M
- 2017Hurricane Irma13 households applied for aid$6K aid approved57 flood claims paid for it, $3.5M
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 Buckingham after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Buckingham archive →Buckingham and its neighbors
Buckingham 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | Dmore damage than 89% | hurricanes | 711 |
| Lehigh Acres | Dmore damage than 91% | hurricanes | 60 |
| Buckingham | Dmore damage than 93% | hurricanes | 140 |
| Verandah | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | 13 |
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 Buckingham 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 Buckingham
Is Buckingham at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Buckingham has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #527 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (64%) and river and rain flooding (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Buckingham flood?
Flood insurance has paid 140 claims in Buckingham since 1982, $8.5M in all, or 71.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (57).
Is Buckingham 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 Buckingham?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Buckingham’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 Buckingham?
By FEMA money that reached Buckingham, Hurricane Ian (2022): 6 households applied for aid, $18K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 57 paid, $3.5M.
Is Buckingham at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Buckingham’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Buckingham.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Buckingham’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.