Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Interlachen

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Interlachen HallPhoto: Florida. - Bureau of Historic Preservation. · Public domain
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Interlachen · FEMA

FEMA puts Interlachen’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Interlachen gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then hurricanes (35%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2009.

River and rain flooding 54%Hurricanes 35%Wildfire 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 82%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 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2009 · $10K
Disasters paid out here
9
of 26 declared for Putnam County
By hazard

What Interlachen 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

54%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hurricanes

35%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Wildfire

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Coastal flooding Hail 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 Interlachen’s grade

River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Interlachen, and Interlachen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 35%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Interlachen sits
Interlachen
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Interlachen’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding54%Hurricanes35%Wildfire6%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $464K a year in losses across Interlachen: $371K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 1,805 aid registrations from Interlachen addresses (the town has 840 homes).
A small-area figure. Interlachen covers 3 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 Interlachen flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2009

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Interlachen, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2009
20092026
Biggest named events
  • The Low pressure system1 claim · $10K
1
paid claims since 2009
$10K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Putnam County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Interlachen

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton273 households applied for aid$445K aid approved
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene160 households applied for aid$319K aid approved
  3. 2022Hurricane Nicole22 households applied for aid$33K aid approved
  4. 2022Hurricane Ian443 households applied for aid$291K aid approved
  5. 2017Hurricane Irma1,805 households applied for aid$1.0M aid approved$76K to the Town of Interlachen for repairs
  6. 2016Hurricane Matthew115 households applied for aid$47K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2004Hurricane Jeanne573 households applied for aid$670K aid approved$1K to the Town of Interlachen for repairs
  2. 2004Hurricane Frances825 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$3K to the Town of Interlachen for repairs
  3. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley$297 to the Town of Interlachen for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in InterlachenPutnam County only

Putnam County has had 26 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Putnam County, 1999–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Interlachen archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Interlachen faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 Interlachen

Is Interlachen at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Interlachen has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and hurricanes (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Interlachen flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Interlachen since 2009, $10K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Low pressure system (1).

Is Interlachen 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 Putnam County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Interlachen?

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

By FEMA money that reached Interlachen, Hurricane Frances (2004): 825 households applied for aid, $1.2M approved, and $3K to the Town of Interlachen for repairs. By flood claims, Low pressure system: 1 paid, $10K.

Is Interlachen at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Interlachen’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Interlachen.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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