Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Lehigh Acres’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lehigh Acres gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #488 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (74%), then river and rain flooding (24%). Flood insurance has paid 60 claims here since 1978.
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 Lehigh Acres’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lehigh Acres 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 Lehigh Acres’ grade
Hurricanes are 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lehigh Acres, and Lehigh Acres’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 24% (lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts).
D #488 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lehigh Acres’ residents live in 30 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, Lehigh Acres has more expected damage per building than 76% of Florida towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Lehigh Acres has higher expected damage per building than 84% (#338 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $33.1M, is the 339th largest of those 400.
Does Lehigh Acres flood? Sometimes: 60 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lehigh Acres, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irma33 claims · $1.4M
- Hurricane Ian7 claims · $154K
- The June South Florida Flooding1 claim · $23K
Lehigh Acres isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lee County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lehigh Acres
Disasters that paid out in Lehigh Acres itself (aid to households or repair grants to Lehigh Acres), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton5,687 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved
- 2024Hurricane Helene1,358 households applied for aid$703K aid approved
- 2022Hurricane Ian23,119 households applied for aid$11.2M aid approved7 flood claims paid for it, $154K
- 2017Hurricane Irma28,191 households applied for aid$11.0M aid approved33 flood claims paid for it, $1.4M
- 2005Hurricane Wilma1,346 households applied for aid$480K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan38 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Show all 8
- 2004Hurricane Frances128 households applied for aid$84K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $728
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley774 households applied for aid$306K aid approved
Lee 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Lee County, 1999–2017.
Old photos of Lehigh Acres after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lehigh Acres archive →Lehigh Acres and its neighbors
Lehigh Acres is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | Dmore damage than 89% | hurricanes | 711 |
| Lehigh Acres | Dmore damage than 91% | hurricanes | 60 |
| Buckingham | Dmore damage than 93% | hurricanes | 140 |
| Alva | Dmore damage than 94% | hurricanes | — |
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 Lehigh Acres 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 Lehigh Acres
Is Lehigh Acres at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lehigh Acres has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #488 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (74%) and river and rain flooding (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lehigh Acres flood?
Flood insurance has paid 60 claims in Lehigh Acres since 1978, $2.0M in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (33).
Is Lehigh Acres 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 Lee County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 24.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lehigh Acres?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lehigh Acres’ 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 Lehigh Acres?
By FEMA money that reached Lehigh Acres, Hurricane Ian (2022): 23,119 households applied for aid, $11.2M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 33 paid, $1.4M.
Is Lehigh Acres at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Lehigh Acres’ rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lehigh Acres.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lehigh Acres’ 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.