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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Harbour Heights · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Harbour Heights than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harbour Heights gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #586 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (75%), then river and rain flooding (20%). Flood insurance has paid 115 claims here since 1982.

Hurricanes 75%River and rain flooding 20%Coastal flooding 3%

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 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#586 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
D−#586 of 638
in Florida · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
115
paid since 1982 · $8.4M
Flood claims per home
59 per 1,000
more than 94% of U.S. towns

What stands out about Harbour Heights’ natural hazards

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

115 paid flood claims since 1982$8.4M in all. More per home than 94% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 3.2% of the damage it expects.Remembers 202497 flood claims were paid for 2024 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Harbour Heights 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 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

20%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Coastal flooding top 2% Tornadoes Strong wind Wildfire Lightning Hail Earthquakes Cold waves 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 Harbour Heights’ grade

Hurricanes are 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harbour Heights, and Harbour Heights’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 3%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Harbour Heights sits
Harbour Heights
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #586 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Harbour Heights’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes75%River and rain flooding20%Coastal flooding3%Everything else2%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Harbour Heights has more expected damage per building than 92% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Harbour Heights: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Harbour Heights covers 2 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 Harbour Heights flood? Yes: 115 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Harbour Heights, from FEMA’s records: 58.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% 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: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 2 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 10 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 97 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200320222024
19822026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Milton67 claims · $4.9M
  • Hurricane Helene28 claims · $2.8M
  • Hurricane Ian10 claims · $456K
115
paid claims since 1982
$8.4M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$73K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Charlotte County.
Disasters

The storms Harbour Heights remembers

None of the 29 disasters declared for Charlotte County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Harbour Heights itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 202497 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Milton, declared for Charlotte County
  2. 202210 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Nicole, declared for Charlotte County
  3. 20032 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Charlotte County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Harbour HeightsCharlotte County only

Charlotte County has had 29 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 Charlotte County, 1999–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Harbour Heights archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Harbour Heights 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.
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 Harbour Heights

Is Harbour Heights at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harbour Heights has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #586 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (75%) and river and rain flooding (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Harbour Heights flood?

Flood insurance has paid 115 claims in Harbour Heights since 1982, $8.4M in all, or 58.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Milton (67).

Is Harbour Heights 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 Charlotte County, 58% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 32.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Harbour Heights?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Milton: 67 paid, $4.9M.

Is Harbour Heights at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Harbour Heights’ rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harbour Heights.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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