Photo: Skye Marthaler · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Cinco Bayou
Cinco Bayou isn’t graded for hazard risk: Cinco Bayou has 609 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1988.
What Cinco Bayou 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.
Does Cinco Bayou flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1988
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cinco Bayou, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ivan1 claim · $61K
- Hurricane Opal1 claim · $11K
Cinco Bayou isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Okaloosa County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cinco Bayou
Disasters that paid out in Cinco Bayou itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cinco Bayou), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$62K to the Town of Cinco Bayou for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Dennis$27K to the Town of Cinco Bayou for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Ivan$24K to the Town of Cinco Bayou for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $61K
Okaloosa County has had 32 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.
Old photos of Cinco Bayou after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cinco Bayou archive →Cinco Bayou and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Walton Beach | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | 545 |
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 Cinco Bayou 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 Cinco Bayou
Does Cinco Bayou flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Cinco Bayou since 1988, $80K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ivan (1).
Is Cinco Bayou 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 Okaloosa County, 74% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 10.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cinco Bayou?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cinco Bayou’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 Cinco Bayou?
By FEMA money that reached Cinco Bayou, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2014): $62K to the Town of Cinco Bayou for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ivan: 1 paid, $61K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cinco Bayou.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cinco Bayou’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.