Photo: JaconaFrere · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Fish Hawk than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fish Hawk gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #356 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then hurricanes (33%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2017.
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 Fish Hawk 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
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.
What’s behind Fish Hawk’s grade
River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fish Hawk, and Fish Hawk’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 33%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #356 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Fish Hawk’s residents live in 3 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, Fish Hawk has more expected damage per building than 56% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.6M a year in losses across Fish Hawk: $7.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fish Hawk flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fish Hawk, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Debby2 claims · $14K
- Hurricane Irma1 claim · $613
Fish Hawk isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hillsborough County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Fish Hawk
Disasters that paid out in Fish Hawk itself (aid to households or repair grants to Fish Hawk), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Irma1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $613
Hillsborough County has had 34 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 Hillsborough County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Fish Hawk after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fish Hawk archive →Fish Hawk and its neighbors
Fish Hawk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 233 |
| Bloomingdale | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 217 |
| Fish Hawk | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Valrico | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
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 Fish Hawk 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.
- 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 Fish Hawk
Is Fish Hawk at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fish Hawk has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #356 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and hurricanes (33%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Fish Hawk flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Fish Hawk since 2017, $15K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (2).
Is Fish Hawk 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 Hillsborough County, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 12.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fish Hawk?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fish Hawk’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 Fish Hawk?
By FEMA money that reached Fish Hawk, Hurricane Irma (2017): 1 households applied for aid, $2K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 2 paid, $14K.
Is Fish Hawk at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Fish Hawk’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fish Hawk.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fish Hawk’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.