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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Jacksonville · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Jacksonville than in 56% of U.S. towns; 3,865 flood claims have been paid there

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jacksonville gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #64 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then hurricanes (29%). Flood insurance has paid 3,865 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 63%Hurricanes 29%Coastal flooding 2%

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 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#64 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C+#64 of 638
in Florida · higher than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
63% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3,865
paid since 1978 · $196M
Flooded more than once
554
properties · 110 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
20% off
Community discount (class 6)

What stands out about Jacksonville’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

3,865 paid flood claims since 1978$196M in all; 554 properties flooded more than once.20% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Jacksonville residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6).Made safer with FEMA grants112 buildings retrofitted against wind; 91 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 18 homes raised above flood level; 7 storm safe rooms built; 2 buildings floodproofed with FEMA grants.Remembers 20171,685 flood claims were paid for 2017 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Jacksonville 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

63%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

29%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Coastal flooding top 4% Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Wildfire Strong wind Cold waves Winter storms Ice storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Jacksonville’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 Jacksonville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jacksonville, and Jacksonville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Jacksonville sits
Jacksonville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #64 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Jacksonville’s residents live in 208 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding63%Hurricanes29%Everything else8%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Jacksonville has less expected damage per building than 90% of Florida towns.

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Jacksonville has lower expected damage per building than 53% (#187 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $250M, is the 27th largest of those 400.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 108,935 aid registrations from Jacksonville addresses (the town has 430,825 homes) and flood insurance paid 1,657 claims for $141M.
Model and record.Most of Jacksonville’s paid flood claims (1,657 of 3,865) came from Hurricane Irma (2017), a coastal storm. FEMA’s model spreads coastal flood damage over all of the city’s buildings, most of them far from the water, so coastal flooding is 2.2% of the citywide figure.
A firm figure. It combines 208 census tracts by where Jacksonville’s 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 Jacksonville flood? Yes: 3,865 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jacksonville, from FEMA’s records: 9.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 3 claims1979: 7 claims1980: 6 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 3 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 11 claims1985: 6 claims1986: 2 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 2 claims1989: 29 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 53 claims1992: 113 claims1993: 5 claims1994: 55 claims1995: 37 claims1996: 149 claims1997: 4 claims1998: 145 claims1999: 6 claims2000: 43 claims2001: 50 claims2002: 6 claims2003: 12 claims2004: 216 claims2005: 38 claims2006: 3 claims2007: 60 claims2008: 316 claims2009: 20 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 5 claims2012: 221 claims2013: 36 claims2014: 7 claims2015: 17 claims2016: 186 claims2017: 1,685 claims2018: 7 claims2019: 5 claims2020: 18 claims2021: 17 claims2022: 209 claims2023: 6 claims2024: 43 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200820122017
19782026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irma1,657 claims · $141M
  • Tropical Storm Fay310 claims · $7.3M
  • Tropical Storm Debby184 claims · $3.4M
3,865
paid claims since 1978
$196M
paid to owners
554
homes flooded more than once
$51K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
Each house = 10 homesFEMA “severe repetitive loss” (110)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount20% off flood insurance

Jacksonville is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Duval County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
112buildings retrofitted against wind
91flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
18homes raised above flood level
7storm safe rooms built
2buildings floodproofed
Disasters

16 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jacksonville

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton11,278 households applied for aid$5.2M aid approved$142K to the City of Jacksonville for repairs
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene13,385 households applied for aid$14.3M aid approved$130K to the City of Jacksonville for repairs
  3. 2024Hurricane Debby1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$1.3M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs184 flood claims paid for it, $3.4M
  4. 2023Hurricane Idalia1 households applied for aid$3.9M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2022Hurricane Nicole1 households applied for aid$2.3M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs181 flood claims paid for it, $9.4M
  6. 2022Hurricane Ian40 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$7.9M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs
Show all 16
  1. 2019Hurricane Dorian$5.4M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2017Hurricane Irma108,935 households applied for aid$43.7M aid approved$66.1M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs1,657 flood claims paid for it, $141M
  3. 2016Hurricane Matthew4,885 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved$35.6M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs183 flood claims paid for it, $7.6M
  4. 2012Tropical Storm Debby1,277 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$1.7M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs184 flood claims paid for it, $3.4M
  5. 2008Tropical Storm Fay2,332 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved$9.3M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs310 flood claims paid for it, $7.3M
  6. 2004Hurricane Jeanne3,839 households applied for aid$2.8M aid approved$8.5M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs178 flood claims paid for it, $5.8M
  7. 2004Hurricane Ivan240 households applied for aid$76K aid approved
  8. 2004Hurricane Frances4,199 households applied for aid$3.0M aid approved$3.3M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs
  9. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley695 households applied for aid$626K aid approved$228K to the City of Jacksonville for repairs
  10. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$1.4M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in JacksonvilleDuval County only

Duval 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Duval County, 1999–2000.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Jacksonville archive →
Next door

Jacksonville and its neighbors

Jacksonville is 6th of the 11 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Fruit Cove: hazard risk CAtlantic Beach: hazard risk BOrange Park: hazard risk BNassau Village-Ratliff: hazard risk C−Jacksonville Beach: hazard risk B−Neptune Beach: hazard risk B−Bellair-Meadowbrook Terrace: hazard risk B−Oakleaf Plantation: hazard risk CFleming Island: hazard risk CNocatee: hazard risk C−Fruit CoveAtlantic BeachOrange ParkNassau Village-RatliffJacksonville BeachNeptune BeachBellair-Meadowbrook TerraceOakleaf PlantationFleming IslandNocateeJacksonville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Atlantic BeachBless damage than 63%river and rain flooding139
Orange ParkBless damage than 59%river and rain flooding83
Jacksonville BeachB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding453
Neptune BeachB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding59
Bellair-Meadowbrook TerraceB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding27
JacksonvilleC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding3,865
Fleming IslandCmore damage than 69%river and rain flooding144
Oakleaf PlantationCmore damage than 72%river and rain flooding—
Fruit CoveCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding64
NocateeC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding3
Nassau Village-RatliffC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding15

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Jacksonville 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 ↗
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.
  • Jacksonville residents get 20% off flood insurance.
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 Jacksonville

Is Jacksonville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jacksonville has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #64 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and hurricanes (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Jacksonville flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3,865 claims in Jacksonville since 1978, $196M in all, or 9.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 554 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (1,657).

Is Jacksonville 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 Duval County, 60% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 6.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Jacksonville?

Jacksonville is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Jacksonville?

By FEMA money that reached Jacksonville, Hurricane Irma (2017): 108,935 households applied for aid, $43.7M approved, and $66.1M to the City of Jacksonville for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 1,657 paid, $141M.

Is Jacksonville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Jacksonville’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jacksonville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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