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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Harlem Heights · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Harlem Heights than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harlem Heights gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (79%), then river and rain flooding (19%). Flood insurance has paid 99 claims here since 1995.

Hurricanes 79%River and rain flooding 19%Coastal flooding 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 93%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Florida · higher than 93% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
99
paid since 1995 · $5.9M
Disasters paid out here
1
of 30 declared for Lee County
By hazard

What Harlem 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

79%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

19%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Coastal flooding top 4% Tornadoes Wildfire 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 Harlem Heights’ grade

Hurricanes are 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harlem Heights, and Harlem Heights’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 1%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Harlem Heights sits
Harlem Heights
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes79%River and rain flooding19%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Harlem Heights: $902K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Harlem Heights’ 1,930 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 Harlem Heights flood? Sometimes: 99 flood claims since 1995

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Harlem Heights, from FEMA’s records: 116.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 6 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 76 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 16 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201720222024
19952026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ian76 claims · $5.0M
  • Hurricane Milton12 claims · $502K
  • Hurricane Irma5 claims · $150K
99
paid claims since 1995
$5.9M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$60K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Harlem 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: Lee County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Harlem Heights

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

  1. 2017Hurricane Irma1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved5 flood claims paid for it, $150K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Harlem HeightsLee 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 Harlem Heights after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Harlem Heights archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Harlem 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 Harlem Heights

Is Harlem Heights at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harlem Heights has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (79%) and river and rain flooding (19%). 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 Harlem Heights flood?

Flood insurance has paid 99 claims in Harlem Heights since 1995, $5.9M in all, or 116.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (76).

Is Harlem 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 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 Harlem Heights?

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

By FEMA money that reached Harlem Heights, Hurricane Irma (2017): 1 households applied for aid, $1K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 76 paid, $5.0M.

Is Harlem Heights at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Harlem Heights’ rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harlem Heights.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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