Storms, floods and disasters in Ferndale
Ferndale isn’t graded for hazard risk: Ferndale has 359 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2017.
What Ferndale 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
Tornadoes
Wildfire
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 Ferndale flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ferndale, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irma1 claim · $13K
- Hurricane Ian1 claim · $63K
Ferndale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lake County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ferndale
Disasters that paid out in Ferndale itself (aid to households or repair grants to Ferndale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne8 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances9 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley2 households applied for aid$838 aid approved
Lake County has had 24 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 Lake County, 2000–2007.
Old photos of Ferndale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ferndale archive →Ferndale and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Ferndale 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Ferndale
Does Ferndale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Ferndale since 2017, $76K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (1).
Is Ferndale 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 Lake County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ferndale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ferndale’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 Ferndale?
By FEMA money that reached Ferndale, Hurricane Frances (2004): 9 households applied for aid, $8K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 1 paid, $13K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ferndale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ferndale’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.