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ChristChurchPhoto: Indietop20 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Fort Meade · FEMA

FEMA puts Fort Meade’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 71% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Meade gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #194 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (44%), then river and rain flooding (35%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 44%River and rain flooding 35%Strong wind 9%

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

more than 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#194 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C#194 of 638
in Florida · higher than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
44% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
10
of 27 declared for Polk County
By hazard

What Fort Meade faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

44%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

35%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Cold waves Lightning Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Fort Meade’s grade

Hurricanes are 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fort Meade, and Fort Meade’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 9%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fort Meade sits
Fort Meade
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #194 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Fort Meade’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes44%River and rain flooding35%Strong wind9%Everything else12%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fort Meade has less expected damage per building than 70% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Fort Meade: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 1,698 aid registrations from Fort Meade addresses (the town has 2,717 homes).
A small-area figure. Fort Meade covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Fort Meade flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Fort Meade. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Fort Meade isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Polk County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fort Meade

Disasters that paid out in Fort Meade itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Fort Meade), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton857 households applied for aid$605K aid approved
  2. 2022Hurricane Ian938 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$284K to the City of Fort Meade for repairs
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma1,698 households applied for aid$754K aid approved$458K to the City of Fort Meade for repairs
  4. 2012Tropical Storm Debby5 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  5. 2008Tropical Storm Fay1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  6. 2008Tropical Storm Fay$4K to the City of Fort Meade for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2004Hurricane Jeanne486 households applied for aid$1.0M aid approved$62K to the City of Fort Meade for repairs
  2. 2004Hurricane Ivan8 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  3. 2004Hurricane Frances293 households applied for aid$520K aid approved$30K to the City of Fort Meade for repairs
  4. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley1,650 households applied for aid$2.4M aid approved$754K to the City of Fort Meade for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Fort MeadePolk County only

Polk County has had 27 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Polk County, 1999–2017.

Were you here?

Old photos of Fort Meade after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Fort Meade archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Fort Meade faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Fort Meade

Is Fort Meade at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Meade has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #194 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (44%) and river and rain flooding (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Fort Meade 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 Polk County, 37% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Fort Meade?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fort Meade’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 Fort Meade?

By FEMA money that reached Fort Meade, Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley (2004): 1,650 households applied for aid, $2.4M approved, and $754K to the City of Fort Meade for repairs.

Is Fort Meade at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Fort Meade’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fort Meade.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fort Meade’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.