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DeLeon Springs Colored SchoolDeLeon Springs Colored School · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY 2.5
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in De Leon Springs · FEMA

FEMA puts De Leon Springs’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 77% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, De Leon Springs gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #287 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (48%), then river and rain flooding (40%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 48%River and rain flooding 40%Wildfire 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 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#287 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C−#287 of 638
in Florida · higher than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
48% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
11
of 30 declared for Volusia County
By hazard

What De Leon Springs faces

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

Hurricanes

48%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

40%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Wildfire

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Hail Cold waves 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 tornadoes at 15% of De Leon Springs’ expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (5.0%), 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 De Leon Springs’ grade

Hurricanes are 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in De Leon Springs, and De Leon Springs’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 6%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where De Leon Springs sits
De Leon Springs
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #287 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of De Leon Springs’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes48%River and rain flooding40%Wildfire6%Everything else6%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, De Leon Springs has less expected damage per building than 55% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $783K a year in losses across De Leon Springs: $629K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 816 aid registrations from De Leon Springs addresses (the town has 978 homes).
Shared tract.All of De Leon Springs’ 2,619 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does De Leon Springs flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in De Leon Springs. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Volusia County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to De Leon Springs

Disasters that paid out in De Leon Springs itself (aid to households or repair grants to De Leon Springs), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton366 households applied for aid$365K aid approved
  2. 2022Hurricane Nicole17 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
  3. 2022Hurricane Ian413 households applied for aid$192K aid approved
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma816 households applied for aid$361K aid approved
  5. 2016Hurricane Matthew80 households applied for aid$16K aid approved
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds4 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Show all 11
  1. 2008Tropical Storm Fay13 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
  2. 2004Hurricane Jeanne199 households applied for aid$193K aid approved
  3. 2004Hurricane Ivan6 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  4. 2004Hurricane Frances572 households applied for aid$549K aid approved
  5. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley76 households applied for aid$72K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in De Leon SpringsVolusia County only

Volusia County has had 30 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Volusia County, 2006–2007.

Were you here?

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

Add to the De Leon Springs archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what De Leon Springs 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 De Leon Springs

Is De Leon Springs at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, De Leon Springs has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #287 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (48%) and river and rain flooding (40%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is De Leon Springs 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 Volusia County, 57% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 11.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in De Leon Springs?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for De Leon Springs’ 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 De Leon Springs?

By FEMA money that reached De Leon Springs, Hurricane Frances (2004): 572 households applied for aid, $549K approved.

Is De Leon Springs at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and De Leon Springs’ rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in De Leon Springs.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where De Leon Springs’ 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.