FEMA puts Grenelefe’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 86% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grenelefe gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #391 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%), then hurricanes (35%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Grenelefe 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
Hurricanes
Strong wind
Wildfire
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 Grenelefe’s grade
River and rain flooding is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Grenelefe, and Grenelefe’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 35%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
D #391 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Grenelefe’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Grenelefe has more expected damage per building than 61% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $723K a year in losses across Grenelefe: $567K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Grenelefe flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Grenelefe. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Grenelefe 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.The storms Grenelefe remembers
None of the 27 disasters declared for Polk County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Grenelefe itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Grenelefe and its neighbors
Grenelefe is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haines City | C−more damage than 76% | hurricanes | 12 |
| Grenelefe | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Grenelefe faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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 Grenelefe
Is Grenelefe at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grenelefe has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #391 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%) and hurricanes (35%). 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.
Is Grenelefe 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 Grenelefe?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grenelefe’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Grenelefe at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Grenelefe’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grenelefe.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grenelefe’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.