FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Keystone than in 72% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keystone gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #215 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then hurricanes (44%). Flood insurance has paid 58 claims here since 1988.
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 Keystone 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
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 Keystone’s grade
River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Keystone, and Keystone’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 44%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C #215 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Keystone’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Keystone has less expected damage per building than 66% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.6M a year in losses across Keystone: $9.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Keystone flood? Sometimes: 58 flood claims since 1988
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Keystone, from FEMA’s records: 6.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Milton15 claims · $672K
- Hurricane Frances7 claims · $70K
- Hurricane Jeanne2 claims · $5K
Keystone isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hillsborough County.The storms Keystone remembers
None of the 34 disasters declared for Hillsborough County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Keystone itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201518 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 202417 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Milton, declared for Hillsborough County
- 200410 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Jeanne, declared for Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County has had 34 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 Hillsborough County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Keystone after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Keystone archive →Keystone and its neighbors
Keystone is 6th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westchase | C+more damage than 59% | hurricanes | 35 |
| Cheval | C+more damage than 64% | hurricanes | 6 |
| Northdale | Cmore damage than 68% | hurricanes | 165 |
| Citrus Park | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Trinity | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Keystone | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 58 |
| Odessa | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| East Lake | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
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 Keystone 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.
- 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 Keystone
Is Keystone at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keystone has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #215 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and hurricanes (44%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Keystone flood?
Flood insurance has paid 58 claims in Keystone since 1988, $1.9M in all, or 6.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Milton (15).
Is Keystone 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 Hillsborough County, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 12.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Keystone?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Keystone’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 Keystone?
By flood claims, Hurricane Milton: 15 paid, $672K.
Is Keystone at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Keystone’s rate for it is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Keystone.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Keystone’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.