On FEMA’s figures, Cocoa West faces more hazard damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cocoa West gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #517 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (70%), then river and rain flooding (24%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2008.
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 Cocoa West 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 Cocoa West’s grade
Hurricanes are 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cocoa West, and Cocoa West’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #517 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cocoa West’s residents live in 5 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, Cocoa West has more expected damage per building than 81% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Cocoa West: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cocoa West flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cocoa West, from FEMA’s records: 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irma5 claims · $152K
- Tropical Storm Fay2 claims · $102K
Cocoa West isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Brevard County.The storms Cocoa West remembers
None of the 29 disasters declared for Brevard County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cocoa West itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20175 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irma, declared for Brevard County
- 20082 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Fay, declared for Brevard County
Brevard 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Brevard County, 1999–2008.
Old photos of Cocoa West after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cocoa West archive →Cocoa West and its neighbors
Cocoa West is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Cocoa West 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 Cocoa West
Is Cocoa West at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cocoa West has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #517 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (70%) and river and rain flooding (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cocoa West flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Cocoa West since 2008, $254K in all, or 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (5).
Is Cocoa West 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 Brevard County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 11.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cocoa West?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cocoa West’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 Cocoa West?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 5 paid, $152K.
Is Cocoa West at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Cocoa West’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cocoa West.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cocoa West’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.