Photo: Freeholdman12 · CC BY 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Kissimmee than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kissimmee gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #282 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then strong wind (25%). Flood insurance has paid 233 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Kissimmee’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Kissimmee 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
Strong wind
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
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 Kissimmee’s grade
River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kissimmee, and Kissimmee’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 25%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #282 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kissimmee’s residents live in 17 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, Kissimmee has less expected damage per building than 56% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $20.0M a year in losses across Kissimmee: $17.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kissimmee flood? Yes: 233 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kissimmee, from FEMA’s records: 7.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ian170 claims · $14.1M
- Hurricane Irma26 claims · $813K
- Hurricane Charley4 claims · $21K
Kissimmee is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Osceola County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kissimmee
Disasters that paid out in Kissimmee itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Kissimmee), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton16,092 households applied for aid$4.4M aid approved$941K to the City of Kissimmee for repairs
- 2022Hurricane Ian30,419 households applied for aid$25.9M aid approved$1.2M to the City of Kissimmee for repairs170 flood claims paid for it, $14.1M
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$105K to the City of Kissimmee for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma33,161 households applied for aid$10.0M aid approved$1.7M to the City of Kissimmee for repairs26 flood claims paid for it, $813K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew$101K to the City of Kissimmee for repairs
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay1 households applied for aid$20K to the City of Kissimmee for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $8K
Show all 11
- 2005Hurricane Wilma1 households applied for aid$22K to the City of Kissimmee for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne5,975 households applied for aid$7.4M aid approved$455K to the City of Kissimmee for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $13K
- 2004Hurricane Ivan103 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances6,276 households applied for aid$8.1M aid approved$786K to the City of Kissimmee for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $3K
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley22,573 households applied for aid$17.1M aid approved$7.0M to the City of Kissimmee for repairs
Osceola 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Osceola County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Kissimmee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kissimmee archive →Kissimmee and its neighbors
Kissimmee has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kissimmee | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 233 |
| Buenaventura Lakes | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Campbell | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Kissimmee 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Kissimmee residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Kissimmee
Is Kissimmee at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kissimmee has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #282 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and strong wind (25%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kissimmee flood?
Flood insurance has paid 233 claims in Kissimmee since 1979, $15.5M in all, or 7.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 22 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (170).
Is Kissimmee 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 Osceola County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 6.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kissimmee?
Kissimmee is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% 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 Kissimmee?
By FEMA money that reached Kissimmee, Hurricane Ian (2022): 30,419 households applied for aid, $25.9M approved, and $1.2M to the City of Kissimmee for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 170 paid, $14.1M.
Is Kissimmee at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Kissimmee’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kissimmee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kissimmee’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.