Photo: Averette · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in El Portal than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Portal gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then hurricanes (44%). Flood insurance has paid 45 claims here since 1991.
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 El Portal 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 El Portal’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in El Portal, and El Portal’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 44%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
El Portal’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $687K a year in losses across El Portal: $598K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does El Portal flood? Sometimes: 45 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in El Portal, from FEMA’s records: 51.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene7 claims · $49K
- Hurricane Irma4 claims · $102K
- The Low pressure system1 claim · $6K
El Portal isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dade County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to El Portal
Disasters that paid out in El Portal itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of El Portal), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Irma382 households applied for aid$161K aid approved$1.3M to the Village of El Portal for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $102K
- 2005Hurricane Wilma350 households applied for aid$191K aid approved$488K to the Village of El Portal for repairs
- 2005Tropical Storm Rita$3K to the Village of El Portal for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Katrina$94K to the Village of El Portal for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances34 households applied for aid$37K aid approved$16K to the Village of El Portal for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms and Tornadoes5 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Show all 9
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$23K to the Village of El Portal for repairs25 flood claims paid that year
- 1999Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req$10K to the Village of El Portal for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $49K
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Emergency Declarations$870 to the Village of El Portal for repairs
Its 2 counties have 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in its 2 counties, 1999–2001.
Old photos of El Portal after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the El Portal archive →El Portal and its neighbors
El Portal is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | Cmore damage than 66% | hurricanes | 4,323 |
| Miami Shores | C−more damage than 76% | hurricanes | 313 |
| West Little River | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 193 |
| El Portal | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
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 El Portal 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 El Portal
Is El Portal at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Portal has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and hurricanes (44%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does El Portal flood?
Flood insurance has paid 45 claims in El Portal since 1991, $501K in all, or 51.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (7).
Is El Portal 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 Dade County, 74% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 33.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in El Portal?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for El Portal’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 El Portal?
By FEMA money that reached El Portal, Hurricane Irma (2017): 382 households applied for aid, $161K approved, and $1.3M to the Village of El Portal for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 7 paid, $49K.
Is El Portal at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and El Portal’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in El Portal.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where El Portal’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.