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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Harlem · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Harlem than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harlem gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (53%), then river and rain flooding (36%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 53%River and rain flooding 36%Strong wind 6%

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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Florida · higher than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
53% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 26 declared for Hendry County
By hazard

What Harlem faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

53%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

36%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Strong wind

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Earthquakes Cold waves Lightning Hail Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Harlem’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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’s grade

Hurricanes are 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harlem, and Harlem’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Harlem sits
Harlem
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes53%River and rain flooding36%Strong wind6%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Harlem: $498K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Harlem’s 2,441 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 flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Harlem. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hendry County.
Disasters

The storms Harlem remembers

None of the 26 disasters declared for Hendry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Harlem itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HarlemHendry County only

Hendry County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter 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 Hendry County, 1999–2007.

Be ready

Get ready for what Harlem 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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

Is Harlem at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harlem has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (53%) and river and rain flooding (36%). 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 Harlem 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 Hendry County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Harlem?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Harlem’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Harlem at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Harlem’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harlem.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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