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Lake Helen, Florida (cropped)Photo: Rochambeau1783 · CC BY 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lake Helen · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Lake Helen than in 80% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Helen gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #331 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%), then hurricanes (45%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2022.

River and rain flooding 46%Hurricanes 45%Tornadoes 5%

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 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#331 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C−#331 of 638
in Florida · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
46% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2022 · $25K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
13
of 30 declared for Volusia County
By hazard

What Lake Helen 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

46%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hurricanes

45%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 14% of Lake Helen’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (4.6%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Helen’s grade

River and rain flooding is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake Helen, and Lake Helen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 45%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Lake Helen sits
Lake Helen
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #331 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding46%Hurricanes45%Tornadoes5%Everything else4%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lake Helen has more expected damage per building than 52% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $904K a year in losses across Lake Helen: $743K 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 576 aid registrations from Lake Helen addresses (the town has 1,118 homes).
A small-area figure. Lake Helen 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 Helen flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2022

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lake Helen, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2022: 2 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20222024
20222026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ian2 claims · $14K
  • Hurricane Milton1 claim · $11K
3
paid claims since 2022
$25K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$8K
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 Helen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Volusia County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lake Helen

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton286 households applied for aid$343K aid approved$492K to the City of Lake Helen for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $11K
  2. 2022Hurricane Nicole22 households applied for aid$61K aid approved
  3. 2022Hurricane Ian390 households applied for aid$339K aid approved$19K to the City of Lake Helen for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $14K
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma576 households applied for aid$213K aid approved$75K to the City of Lake Helen for repairs
  5. 2016Hurricane Matthew66 households applied for aid$30K aid approved$239K to the City of Lake Helen for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds2 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
Show all 13
  1. 2008Tropical Storm Fay15 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
  2. 2007Severe Storms and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  3. 2004Hurricane Jeanne105 households applied for aid$104K aid approved$85K to the City of Lake Helen for repairs
  4. 2004Hurricane Ivan4 households applied for aid$232 aid approved
  5. 2004Hurricane Frances247 households applied for aid$208K aid approved$141K to the City of Lake Helen for repairs
  6. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley220 households applied for aid$156K aid approved$117K to the City of Lake Helen for repairs
  7. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$5K to the City of Lake Helen for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Lake HelenVolusia County only

Volusia County has had 30 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Volusia County, 2006–2007.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Lake Helen archive →
Next door

Lake Helen and its neighbors

Lake Helen is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

DeLand: hazard risk C−DeLandLake Helen
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DeLandC−more damage than 79%hurricanes16
Lake HelenC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding3

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Lake Helen 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 ↗
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 Helen

Is Lake Helen at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Helen has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #331 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%) and hurricanes (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Lake Helen flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Lake Helen since 2022, $25K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (2).

Is Lake Helen 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 Volusia County, 57% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 11.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lake Helen?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake Helen’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 Helen?

By FEMA money that reached Lake Helen, Hurricane Milton (2024): 286 households applied for aid, $343K approved, and $492K to the City of Lake Helen for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 2 paid, $14K.

Is Lake Helen at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Lake Helen’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Helen.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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