Casa De Josefina · Photo: Harriet Duncan · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Highland Park
Highland Park isn’t graded for hazard risk: Highland Park has 282 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2005.
What Highland Park 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
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.
Does Highland Park flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2005
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Highland Park, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ian1 claim · $35K
Highland Park 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Highland Park
Disasters that paid out in Highland Park itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Highland Park), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley$14K to the Village of Highland Park for repairs
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.
Old photos of Highland Park after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Highland Park archive →Highland Park and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Wales | Cmore damage than 72% | hurricanes | 5 |
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 Highland Park 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.
- 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 Highland Park
Does Highland Park flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Highland Park since 2005, $36K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (1).
Is Highland Park 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 Highland Park?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Highland Park’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 Highland Park?
By FEMA money that reached Highland Park, Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley (2004): $14K to the Village of Highland Park for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 1 paid, $35K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Highland Park.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Highland Park’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.