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Fort Myers FL Downtown HD 1933 crths pano01Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Fort Myers · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Fort Myers faces more hazard damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, and 711 flood claims have been paid there

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Myers gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #426 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (75%), then river and rain flooding (22%). Flood insurance has paid 711 claims here since 1978.

Hurricanes 75%River and rain flooding 22%Wildfire 1%

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 89%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#426 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
D#426 of 638
in Florida · higher than 89% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
711
paid since 1978 · $67.1M
Flooded more than once
100
properties · 10 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
20% off
Community discount (class 6)

What stands out about Fort Myers’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

711 paid flood claims since 1978$67.1M in all; 100 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 80% of U.S. towns.20% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Fort Myers residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6).Made safer with FEMA grants37 buildings retrofitted against wind; 11 homes raised above flood level with FEMA grants.Remembers 2022392 flood claims were paid for 2022 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Fort Myers faces

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

Hurricanes

75%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

22%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Coastal flooding Strong wind Cold waves Lightning Hail Earthquakes Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter 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 Myers’ grade

Hurricanes are 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fort Myers, and Fort Myers’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 22% (lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Fort Myers sits
Fort Myers
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #426 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Fort Myers’ residents live in 36 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes75%River and rain flooding22%Everything else3%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fort Myers has more expected damage per building than 67% of Florida towns.

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Fort Myers has higher expected damage per building than 82% (#329 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $47.8M, is the 257th largest of those 400.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Ian in 2022, FEMA took 62,573 aid registrations from Fort Myers addresses (the town has 48,984 homes) and flood insurance paid 391 claims for $52.7M.
Model and record.Most of Fort Myers’ paid flood claims (391 of 711) came from Hurricane Ian (2022), a coastal storm. FEMA’s model spreads coastal flood damage over all of the city’s buildings, most of them far from the water, so coastal flooding is 0.7% of the citywide figure.
A firm figure. It combines 36 census tracts by where Fort Myers’ 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 Myers flood? Yes: 711 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fort Myers, from FEMA’s records: 14.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 14 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 12 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 16 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 3 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 7 claims1996: 2 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 1 claim1999: 2 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 19 claims2002: 2 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 22 claims2005: 7 claims2006: 5 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 5 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 2 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 65 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 392 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 125 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201720222024
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ian391 claims · $52.7M
  • Hurricane Milton66 claims · $4.4M
  • Hurricane Helene57 claims · $6.2M
711
paid claims since 1978
$67.1M
paid to owners
100
homes flooded more than once
$94K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
Each house = 2 homesFEMA “severe repetitive loss” (10)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount20% off flood insurance

Fort Myers is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Lee County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
37buildings retrofitted against wind
11homes raised above flood level
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fort Myers

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton11,896 households applied for aid$6.6M aid approved$2.3M to the City of Fort Myers for repairs66 flood claims paid for it, $4.4M
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene3,042 households applied for aid$4.1M aid approved$423K to the City of Fort Myers for repairs57 flood claims paid for it, $6.2M
  3. 2022Hurricane Ian62,573 households applied for aid$178M aid approved$26.3M to the City of Fort Myers for repairs391 flood claims paid for it, $52.7M
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma45,921 households applied for aid$20.0M aid approved$10.3M to the City of Fort Myers for repairs57 flood claims paid for it, $1.6M
  5. 2012Tropical Storm Debby$263K to the City of Fort Myers for repairs
  6. 2008Tropical Storm Fay18 households applied for aid$18K aid approved$281K to the City of Fort Myers for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2005Hurricane Wilma4,121 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved$2.4M to the City of Fort Myers for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2004Hurricane Jeanne1 households applied for aid$25K to the City of Fort Myers for repairs
  3. 2004Hurricane Ivan115 households applied for aid$22K aid approved$7K to the City of Fort Myers for repairs
  4. 2004Hurricane Frances690 households applied for aid$829K aid approved$293K to the City of Fort Myers for repairs
  5. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley8,390 households applied for aid$5.5M aid approved$3.9M to the City of Fort Myers for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Fort MyersLee County only

Lee County has had 30 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Lee County, 1999–2017.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Fort Myers archive →
Next door

Fort Myers and its neighbors

Fort Myers is 4th of the 11 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Tice: hazard risk DGateway: hazard risk DWhiskey Creek: hazard risk DBuckingham: hazard risk DPine Manor: hazard risk DNorth Fort Myers: hazard risk DCape Coral: hazard risk DLehigh Acres: hazard risk DLochmoor Waterway Estates: hazard risk DMcGregor: hazard risk DTiceGatewayWhiskey CreekBuckinghamPine ManorNorth Fort MyersCape CoralLehigh AcresLochmoor Waterway EstatesMcGregorFort Myers
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TiceDmore damage than 89%hurricanes1
Pine ManorDmore damage than 89%hurricanes—
McGregorDmore damage than 89%hurricanes692
Fort MyersDmore damage than 89%hurricanes711
Whiskey CreekDmore damage than 90%hurricanes18
Cape CoralDmore damage than 90%hurricanes4,381
Lochmoor Waterway EstatesDmore damage than 90%hurricanes707
North Fort MyersDmore damage than 91%hurricanes1,786
Lehigh AcresDmore damage than 91%hurricanes60
GatewayDmore damage than 92%hurricanes1
BuckinghamDmore damage than 93%hurricanes140

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Fort Myers 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 ↗
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.
  • Fort Myers residents get 20% off flood insurance.
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 Myers

Is Fort Myers at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Myers has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #426 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (75%) and river and rain flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Fort Myers flood?

Flood insurance has paid 711 claims in Fort Myers since 1978, $67.1M in all, or 14.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 100 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (391).

Is Fort Myers 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 Lee County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 24.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Fort Myers?

Fort Myers is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. 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 Myers?

By FEMA money that reached Fort Myers, Hurricane Ian (2022): 62,573 households applied for aid, $178M approved, and $26.3M to the City of Fort Myers for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 391 paid, $52.7M.

Is Fort Myers at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Fort Myers’ rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fort Myers.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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