Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Coleman
Coleman isn’t graded for hazard risk: Coleman has 705 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Coleman faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
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 Coleman flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Coleman. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Coleman is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Sumter County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Coleman
Disasters that paid out in Coleman itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Coleman), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton75 households applied for aid$153K aid approved$18K to the City of Coleman for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma181 households applied for aid$74K aid approved$146K to the City of Coleman for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne55 households applied for aid$70K aid approved$25K to the City of Coleman for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances64 households applied for aid$93K aid approved$17K to the City of Coleman for repairs
Sumter County has had 23 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Sumter County, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Coleman after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Coleman archive →Coleman 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildwood | Cmore damage than 70% | hurricanes | 12 |
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 Coleman faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Coleman residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Coleman
Is Coleman 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 Sumter County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Coleman?
Coleman is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Coleman?
By FEMA money that reached Coleman, Hurricane Irma (2017): 181 households applied for aid, $74K approved, and $146K to the City of Coleman for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Coleman.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Coleman’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.