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Geneva FLPhoto: Connor J Williams · CC BY 2.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Geneva · FEMA

FEMA puts Geneva’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Geneva gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #315 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then wildfire (20%). Flood insurance has paid 239 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 57%Wildfire 20%Hurricanes 16%

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 79%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#315 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C−#315 of 638
in Florida · higher than 79% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
239
paid since 1982 · $12.6M
Disasters paid out here
9
of 25 declared for Seminole County

What stands out about Geneva’s natural hazards

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

239 paid flood claims since 1982$12.6M in all. More per home than 98% of U.S. towns.Wildfire: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for wildfire here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 19.7% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants5 homes raised above flood level; 2 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 2 buildings retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.Remembers 2022105 flood claims were paid for 2022 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Geneva 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

57%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Wildfire

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Hail Cold waves 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 Geneva’s grade

River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Geneva, and Geneva’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 20%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Geneva sits
Geneva
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #315 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Geneva’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding57%Wildfire20%Hurricanes16%Everything else8%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Geneva has less expected damage per building than 51% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Geneva: $976K 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 764 aid registrations from Geneva addresses (the town has 1,224 homes) and flood insurance paid 36 claims for $1.0M.
Shared tract.All of Geneva’s 2,913 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Geneva flood? Yes: 239 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Geneva, from FEMA’s records: 195.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 6 claims1995: 3 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 2 claims1999: 2 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 20 claims2005: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 54 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 37 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 105 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 4 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200820172022
19822026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ian103 claims · $8.8M
  • Tropical Storm Fay53 claims · $2.0M
  • Hurricane Irma36 claims · $1.0M
239
paid claims since 1982
$12.6M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$53K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Seminole County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
5homes raised above flood level
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
2buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Geneva

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton245 households applied for aid$280K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $62K
  2. 2022Hurricane Ian633 households applied for aid$2.9M aid approved103 flood claims paid for it, $8.8M
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma764 households applied for aid$440K aid approved36 flood claims paid for it, $1.0M
  4. 2016Hurricane Matthew31 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  5. 2008Tropical Storm Fay177 households applied for aid$465K aid approved53 flood claims paid for it, $2.0M
  6. 2004Hurricane Jeanne202 households applied for aid$373K aid approved10 flood claims paid for it, $231K
Show all 9
  1. 2004Hurricane Ivan11 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  2. 2004Hurricane Frances412 households applied for aid$556K aid approved10 flood claims paid for it, $65K
  3. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley809 households applied for aid$850K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GenevaSeminole County only

Seminole County has had 25 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 Seminole County, 1999–2007.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Geneva archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Geneva faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 Geneva

Is Geneva at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Geneva has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #315 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and wildfire (20%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Geneva flood?

Flood insurance has paid 239 claims in Geneva since 1982, $12.6M in all, or 195.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (103).

Is Geneva 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 Seminole County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Geneva?

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

By FEMA money that reached Geneva, Hurricane Ian (2022): 633 households applied for aid, $2.9M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 103 paid, $8.8M.

Is Geneva at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Geneva’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Geneva.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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