Photo: Roman Eugeniusz · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Dunedin’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 66% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dunedin gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #133 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (48%), then river and rain flooding (42%). Flood insurance has paid 1,343 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Dunedin’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Dunedin 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 Dunedin’s grade
Hurricanes are 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dunedin, and Dunedin’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 4%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C #133 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dunedin’s residents live in 13 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, Dunedin has less expected damage per building than 79% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.9M a year in losses across Dunedin: $8.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dunedin flood? Yes: 1,343 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dunedin, from FEMA’s records: 63.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene643 claims · $105M
- The Blizzard of 1993312 claims · $6.6M
- Hurricane Josephine81 claims · $1.0M
Dunedin is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pinellas County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dunedin
Disasters that paid out in Dunedin itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Dunedin), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton4,058 households applied for aid$3.6M aid approved$5.6M to the City of Dunedin for repairs49 flood claims paid for it, $3.7M
- 2024Hurricane Helene2,737 households applied for aid$12.1M aid approved$721K to the City of Dunedin for repairs643 flood claims paid for it, $105M
- 2024Hurricane Debby96 households applied for aid$80K aid approved$114K to the City of Dunedin for repairs
- 2023Hurricane Idalia204 households applied for aid$318K aid approved$196K to the City of Dunedin for repairs66 flood claims paid for it, $5.0M
- 2022Hurricane Ian657 households applied for aid$154K aid approved$250K to the City of Dunedin for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Irma5,063 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved$1.9M to the City of Dunedin for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 11
- 2016Hurricane Hermine14 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$92K to the City of Dunedin for repairs
- 2012Tropical Storm Debby49 households applied for aid$40K aid approved$42K to the City of Dunedin for repairs17 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne267 households applied for aid$192K aid approved$212K to the City of Dunedin for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances97 households applied for aid$67K aid approved$642K to the City of Dunedin for repairs
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley$44K to the City of Dunedin for repairs
Pinellas 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.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinellas County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Dunedin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dunedin archive →Dunedin and its neighbors
Dunedin is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater | B−more damage than 53% | hurricanes | 2,320 |
| Greenbriar | C+more damage than 60% | hurricanes | — |
| Dunedin | Cmore damage than 66% | hurricanes | 1,343 |
| Palm Harbor | Cmore damage than 69% | hurricanes | 1,678 |
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 Dunedin 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.
- Dunedin residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Dunedin
Is Dunedin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dunedin has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #133 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (48%) and river and rain flooding (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dunedin flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,343 claims in Dunedin since 1979, $123M in all, or 63.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 134 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (643).
Is Dunedin 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 Pinellas County, 19.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Dunedin?
Dunedin is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% 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 Dunedin?
By FEMA money that reached Dunedin, Hurricane Helene (2024): 2,737 households applied for aid, $12.1M approved, and $721K to the City of Dunedin for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 643 paid, $105M.
Is Dunedin at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Dunedin’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dunedin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dunedin’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.