FEMA puts DeLand Southwest’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 79% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, DeLand Southwest gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%), then hurricanes (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 DeLand Southwest 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.
What’s behind DeLand Southwest’s grade
River and rain flooding is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in DeLand Southwest, and DeLand Southwest’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 46%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of DeLand Southwest’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $332K a year in losses across DeLand Southwest: $274K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does DeLand Southwest flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in DeLand Southwest. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
DeLand Southwest 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.The storms DeLand Southwest remembers
None of the 30 disasters declared for Volusia County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching DeLand Southwest itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
DeLand Southwest and its neighbors
DeLand Southwest is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeLand | C−more damage than 79% | hurricanes | 16 |
| DeLand Southwest | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 DeLand Southwest 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in DeLand Southwest
Is DeLand Southwest at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, DeLand Southwest has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%) and hurricanes (46%). 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 DeLand Southwest 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 DeLand Southwest?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for DeLand Southwest’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is DeLand Southwest at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and DeLand Southwest’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in DeLand Southwest.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where DeLand Southwest’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.