Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Lake Butler

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Lake Butler Woman's ClubLake Butler Woman's Club · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY 2.5
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lake Butler · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Lake Butler than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Butler gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (61%), then river and rain flooding (31%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1992.

Hurricanes 61%River and rain flooding 31%Tornadoes 3%

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 81%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 81% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
61% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 1992 · $175K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
8
of 21 declared for Union County
By hazard

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.

Hurricanes

61%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

River and rain flooding

31%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Hail Winter storms Cold waves 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 Lake Butler’s grade

Hurricanes are 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake Butler, and Lake Butler’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Lake Butler sits
Lake Butler
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Lake Butler’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes61%River and rain flooding31%Tornadoes3%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $802K a year in losses across Lake Butler: $670K 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 1,158 aid registrations from Lake Butler addresses (the town has 695 homes) and flood insurance paid 1 claims for $35K.
A small-area figure. Lake Butler covers 2 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 Lake Butler flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1992

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lake Butler, from FEMA’s records: 15.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1992: 4 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 3 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199219982004
19922026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Debby1 claim · $8K
  • Hurricane Frances1 claim · $2K
  • Hurricane Irma1 claim · $35K
11
paid claims since 1992
$175K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$16K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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: Union County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2buildings retrofitted against wind
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lake Butler

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton7 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene527 households applied for aid$775K aid approved$15K to the City of Lake Butler for repairs
  3. 2024Hurricane Debby$14K to the City of Lake Butler for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $8K
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma1,158 households applied for aid$420K aid approved$37K to the City of Lake Butler for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $35K
  5. 2012Tropical Storm Debby89 households applied for aid$112K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $8K
  6. 2008Tropical Storm Fay1 households applied for aid$25K to the City of Lake Butler for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2004Hurricane Jeanne315 households applied for aid$307K aid approved
  2. 2004Hurricane Frances341 households applied for aid$447K aid approved$46K to the City of Lake Butler for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Lake ButlerUnion County only

Union County has had 21 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 Union County, 1999–2007.

Were you here?

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 →
Be ready

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.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 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 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (61%) and river and rain flooding (31%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Lake Butler flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Lake Butler since 1992, $175K in all, or 15.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Debby (1).

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 Union County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% 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 FEMA money that reached Lake Butler, Hurricane Helene (2024): 527 households applied for aid, $775K approved, and $15K to the City of Lake Butler for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Debby: 1 paid, $8K.

Is Lake Butler at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Lake Butler’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Butler.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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.