Photo: 350z33 · CC BY-SA 3.0For strong wind, Lake Butler’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Butler gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #68 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then hurricanes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1994.
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 Lake Butler 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
Strong wind
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 Lake Butler’s grade
River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake Butler, and Lake Butler’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 10%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #68 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lake Butler’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, Lake Butler has less expected damage per building than 89% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.3M a year in losses across Lake Butler: $6.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lake Butler flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1994
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lake Butler, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ian4 claims · $135K
- Hurricane Irma2 claims · $153K
- Hurricane Milton2 claims · $70K
Lake Butler isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Orange County.The storms Lake Butler remembers
None of the 25 disasters declared for Orange County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lake Butler itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20224 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Nicole, declared for Orange County
- 20172 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irma, declared for Orange County
- 20242 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Milton, declared for Orange County
Orange County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter 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 Orange County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Lake Butler after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lake Butler archive →Lake Butler and its neighbors
Lake Butler is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gotha | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Winter Garden | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Horizon West | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lake Butler | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Bay Hill | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Ocoee | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
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 Lake Butler 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Lake Butler
Is Lake Butler at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Butler has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #68 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and hurricanes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lake Butler flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Lake Butler since 1994, $492K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (4).
Is Lake Butler 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 Orange County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lake Butler?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake Butler’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 Lake Butler?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 4 paid, $135K.
Is Lake Butler at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Lake Butler’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Butler.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake Butler’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.