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Keystone Heights City Hall - NewPhoto: StarkeDCD · CC BY-SA 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Keystone Heights · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Keystone Heights as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keystone Heights gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then hurricanes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 66%Hurricanes 18%Wildfire 9%

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 58%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 58% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
9
of 24 declared for Clay County
By hazard

What Keystone Heights 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

66%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hurricanes

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Wildfire

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Cold waves Hail Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingIce 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 Keystone Heights’ grade

River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Keystone Heights, and Keystone Heights’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 9%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Keystone Heights sits
Keystone Heights
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding66%Hurricanes18%Wildfire9%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $419K a year in losses across Keystone Heights: $350K 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 1,195 aid registrations from Keystone Heights addresses (the town has 666 homes).
A small-area figure. Keystone Heights 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 Keystone Heights flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Keystone Heights. 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

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

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

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Keystone Heights

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton113 households applied for aid$151K aid approved
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene12 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma1,195 households applied for aid$720K aid approved$23K to the City of Keystone Heights for repairs
  4. 2016Hurricane Matthew$3K to the City of Keystone Heights for repairs
  5. 2012Tropical Storm Debby29 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  6. 2008Tropical Storm Fay10 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2004Hurricane Jeanne299 households applied for aid$278K aid approved$15K to the City of Keystone Heights for repairs
  2. 2004Hurricane Ivan18 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  3. 2004Hurricane Frances528 households applied for aid$675K aid approved$10K to the City of Keystone Heights for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Keystone HeightsClay County only

Clay County has had 24 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Clay County, 1999–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Keystone Heights archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Keystone Heights 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
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 Keystone Heights

Is Keystone Heights at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keystone Heights has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and hurricanes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Keystone Heights 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 Clay County, 48% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Keystone Heights?

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

By FEMA money that reached Keystone Heights, Hurricane Irma (2017): 1,195 households applied for aid, $720K approved, and $23K to the City of Keystone Heights for repairs.

Is Keystone Heights at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Keystone Heights’ rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Keystone Heights.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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