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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Cheval · FEMA

FEMA puts Cheval’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cheval gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #116 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (51%), then river and rain flooding (39%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2004.

Hurricanes 51%River and rain flooding 39%Tornadoes 6%

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 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#116 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C+#116 of 638
in Florida · higher than 64% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
51% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 2004 · $97K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 75% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Cheval faces

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

Hurricanes

51%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

39%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Wildfire Strong wind Earthquakes Cold waves Lightning Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Cheval’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Cheval’s grade

Hurricanes are 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cheval, and Cheval’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 39% (lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Cheval sits
Cheval
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #116 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Cheval’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes51%River and rain flooding39%Tornadoes6%Everything else3%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Cheval has less expected damage per building than 82% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Cheval: $3.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Cheval covers 3 census tracts, combined by where 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 Cheval flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cheval, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 3 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420152017
20042026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irma3 claims · $66K
  • Hurricane Milton1 claim · $22K
  • Hurricane Frances1 claim · $8K
6
paid claims since 2004
$97K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$16K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hillsborough County.
Disasters

The storms Cheval remembers

None of the 34 disasters declared for Hillsborough County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cheval itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20173 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irma, declared for Hillsborough County
  2. 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Jeanne, declared for Hillsborough County
  3. 20151 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ChevalHillsborough County only

Hillsborough County has had 34 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Hillsborough County, 1999–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Cheval archive →
Next door

Cheval and its neighbors

Cheval has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lutz: hazard risk CKeystone: hazard risk CNorthdale: hazard risk CLutzKeystoneNorthdaleCheval
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ChevalC+more damage than 64%hurricanes6
NorthdaleCmore damage than 68%hurricanes165
LutzCmore damage than 71%hurricanes72
KeystoneCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding58

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Cheval 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
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 Cheval

Is Cheval at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cheval has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #116 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (51%) and river and rain flooding (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Cheval flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Cheval since 2004, $97K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (3).

Is Cheval 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 Hillsborough County, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 12.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Cheval?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 3 paid, $66K.

Is Cheval at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Cheval’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cheval.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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