Storms, floods and disasters in Floridatown
Floridatown isn’t graded for hazard risk: Floridatown has 293 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 94 claims here since 1979.
What Floridatown 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.
Does Floridatown flood? Sometimes: 94 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Floridatown, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ivan33 claims · $5.9M
- Hurricane Georges (Panhandle)14 claims · $70K
- Hurricane Sally13 claims · $434K
Floridatown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Santa Rosa County.The storms Floridatown remembers
None of the 34 disasters declared for Santa Rosa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Floridatown itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200433 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Ivan, declared for Santa Rosa County
- 199814 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Georges, declared for Santa Rosa County
- 202013 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sally, declared for Santa Rosa County
Santa Rosa 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Rosa County, 2020–2020.
Old photos of Floridatown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Floridatown archive →Floridatown and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pace | Dmore damage than 91% | hurricanes | 42 |
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 Floridatown 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Floridatown
Does Floridatown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 94 claims in Floridatown since 1979, $6.9M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ivan (33).
Is Floridatown 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 Santa Rosa County, 67% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 14.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Floridatown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Floridatown’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 Floridatown?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ivan: 33 paid, $5.9M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Floridatown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Floridatown’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.