Photo: The Bushranger · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Chiefland than in 78% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chiefland gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (47%), then river and rain flooding (46%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Chiefland 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 Chiefland’s grade
Hurricanes are 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chiefland, and Chiefland’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Chiefland’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Chiefland: $769K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chiefland flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chiefland. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Chiefland isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Levy County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chiefland
Disasters that paid out in Chiefland itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Chiefland), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene712 households applied for aid$983K aid approved
- 2024Hurricane Debby407 households applied for aid$399K aid approved
- 2023Hurricane Idalia453 households applied for aid$308K aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma758 households applied for aid$196K aid approved$59K to the City of Chiefland for repairs
- 2016Hurricane Hermine19 households applied for aid$563 aid approved
- 2012Tropical Storm Debby$7K to the City of Chiefland for repairs
Show all 11
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds17 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne174 households applied for aid$172K aid approved$3K to the City of Chiefland for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances242 households applied for aid$431K aid approved$24K to the City of Chiefland for repairs
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley30 households applied for aid$41K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms and Flooding$1K to the City of Chiefland for repairs
Levy County has had 31 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 Levy County, 1999–2026.
Old photos of Chiefland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chiefland archive →Chiefland and its neighbors
Chiefland has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefland | C−more damage than 78% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Andrews | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Manatee Road | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Chiefland 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 Chiefland
Is Chiefland at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chiefland has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (47%) and river and rain flooding (46%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Chiefland 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 Levy County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chiefland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chiefland’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 Chiefland?
By FEMA money that reached Chiefland, Hurricane Helene (2024): 712 households applied for aid, $983K approved.
Is Chiefland at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Chiefland’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chiefland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chiefland’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.