Photo: A1C Emily S. Moore · Public domainFEMA puts Hurlburt Field’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hurlburt Field gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #416 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (82%), then river and rain flooding (11%). 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 Hurlburt Field faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Hurlburt Field’s grade
Hurricanes are 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hurlburt Field, and Hurlburt Field’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 11% (lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts).
D #416 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hurlburt Field’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, Hurlburt Field has more expected damage per building than 65% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Hurlburt Field: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hurlburt Field flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hurlburt Field. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hurlburt Field isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Okaloosa County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hurlburt Field
Disasters that paid out in Hurlburt Field itself (aid to households or repair grants to Hurlburt Field), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Hurricane Dennis2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan6 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Okaloosa County has had 32 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.
Old photos of Hurlburt Field after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hurlburt Field archive →Hurlburt Field and its neighbors
Hurlburt Field is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Esther | Dmore damage than 88% | hurricanes | 81 |
| Hurlburt Field | Dmore damage than 89% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Fort Walton Beach | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | 545 |
| Wright | Dmore damage than 91% | hurricanes | 153 |
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 Hurlburt Field faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Hurlburt Field
Is Hurlburt Field at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hurlburt Field has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #416 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (82%) and river and rain flooding (11%). 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 Hurlburt Field 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 Okaloosa County, 74% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 10.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hurlburt Field?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hurlburt Field’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 Hurlburt Field?
By FEMA money that reached Hurlburt Field, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 6 households applied for aid, $6K approved.
Is Hurlburt Field at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Hurlburt Field’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hurlburt Field.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hurlburt Field’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.