Photo: Piperpet · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Gibsonton than in 72% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gibsonton gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #211 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (43%), then river and rain flooding (42%). Flood insurance has paid 253 claims here since 1982.
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 stands out about Gibsonton’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Gibsonton 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
Tornadoes
Coastal 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.
What’s behind Gibsonton’s grade
Hurricanes are 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gibsonton, and Gibsonton’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 6%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C #211 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Gibsonton’s residents live in 6 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, Gibsonton has less expected damage per building than 67% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.7M a year in losses across Gibsonton: $4.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gibsonton flood? Yes: 253 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gibsonton, from FEMA’s records: 37.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene95 claims · $9.4M
- The Blizzard of 199321 claims · $267K
- Hurricane Josephine21 claims · $291K
Gibsonton 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.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gibsonton
Disasters that paid out in Gibsonton itself (aid to households or repair grants to Gibsonton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton4,599 households applied for aid$6.2M aid approved9 flood claims paid for it, $1.1M
- 2024Hurricane Helene1,497 households applied for aid$5.2M aid approved95 flood claims paid for it, $9.4M
- 2024Hurricane Debby135 households applied for aid$175K aid approved
- 2023Hurricane Idalia117 households applied for aid$38K aid approved7 flood claims paid that year
- 2022Hurricane Ian1,683 households applied for aid$747K aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma1,364 households applied for aid$350K aid approved6 flood claims paid that year
Show all 8
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne167 households applied for aid$328K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances64 households applied for aid$94K aid approved
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 Gibsonton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gibsonton archive →Gibsonton and its neighbors
Gibsonton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo Beach | Cmore damage than 65% | hurricanes | 1,014 |
| Progress Village | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 128 |
| Gibsonton | Cmore damage than 72% | hurricanes | 253 |
| Riverview | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 233 |
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 Gibsonton 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.
- 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Gibsonton
Is Gibsonton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gibsonton has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #211 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (43%) and river and rain flooding (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Gibsonton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 253 claims in Gibsonton since 1982, $13.6M in all, or 37.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (95).
Is Gibsonton 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 Gibsonton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gibsonton’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 Gibsonton?
By FEMA money that reached Gibsonton, Hurricane Milton (2024): 4,599 households applied for aid, $6.2M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 95 paid, $9.4M.
Is Gibsonton at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and Gibsonton’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gibsonton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gibsonton’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.