On FEMA’s figures, Lake Lorraine faces more hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Lorraine gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #457 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (80%), then river and rain flooding (15%). Flood insurance has paid 339 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 Lake Lorraine’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lake Lorraine faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Lorraine’s grade
Hurricanes are 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake Lorraine, and Lake Lorraine’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 15% (lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts).
D #457 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lake Lorraine’s residents live in 2 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 Lorraine has more expected damage per building than 72% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Lake Lorraine: $3.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lake Lorraine flood? Yes: 339 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lake Lorraine, from FEMA’s records: 100.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ivan132 claims · $7.0M
- Hurricane Opal126 claims · $3.9M
- Hurricane Sally21 claims · $1.6M
Lake Lorraine isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Okaloosa County.The storms Lake Lorraine remembers
None of the 32 disasters declared for Okaloosa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lake Lorraine itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2004134 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Ivan, declared for Okaloosa County
- 1995129 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Opal, declared for Okaloosa County
- 200526 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Katrina, declared for Okaloosa County
Okaloosa County has had 32 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.
Old photos of Lake Lorraine after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lake Lorraine archive →Lake Lorraine and its neighbors
Lake Lorraine is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Lorraine faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Lorraine
Is Lake Lorraine at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Lorraine has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #457 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (80%) and river and rain flooding (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lake Lorraine flood?
Flood insurance has paid 339 claims in Lake Lorraine since 1979, $14.3M in all, or 100.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ivan (132).
Is Lake Lorraine 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 Okaloosa County, 74% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 10.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lake Lorraine?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake Lorraine’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 Lorraine?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ivan: 132 paid, $7.0M.
Is Lake Lorraine at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Lake Lorraine’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Lorraine.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake Lorraine’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.