On FEMA’s figures, Loxahatchee Groves faces more hazard damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Loxahatchee Groves gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #119 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (66%), then river and rain flooding (29%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2012.
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 Loxahatchee Groves 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 Loxahatchee Groves’ grade
Hurricanes are 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Loxahatchee Groves, and Loxahatchee Groves’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #119 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Loxahatchee Groves’ 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, Loxahatchee Groves has less expected damage per building than 81% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Loxahatchee Groves: $988K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Loxahatchee Groves flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2012
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Loxahatchee Groves, from FEMA’s records: 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irma1 claim · $5K
- Hurricane Isaac1 claim · $8K
Loxahatchee Groves isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Palm Beach County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Loxahatchee Groves
Disasters that paid out in Loxahatchee Groves itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Loxahatchee Groves), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton9 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$528K to the Town of Loxahatchee Groves for repairs
- 2022Hurricane Nicole$291K to the Town of Loxahatchee Groves for repairs
- 2022Hurricane Ian2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$12K to the Town of Loxahatchee Groves for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma26 households applied for aid$41K aid approved$283K to the Town of Loxahatchee Groves for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
Palm Beach County has had 29 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Palm Beach County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Loxahatchee Groves after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Loxahatchee Groves archive →Loxahatchee Groves and its neighbors
Loxahatchee Groves 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westlake | C+more damage than 58% | hurricanes | — |
| Loxahatchee Groves | C+more damage than 65% | hurricanes | 3 |
| The Acreage | Cmore damage than 71% | hurricanes | 28 |
| Royal Palm Beach | Cmore damage than 72% | hurricanes | 14 |
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 Loxahatchee Groves 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 Loxahatchee Groves
Is Loxahatchee Groves at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Loxahatchee Groves has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #119 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (66%) and river and rain flooding (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Loxahatchee Groves flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Loxahatchee Groves since 2012, $22K in all, or 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (1).
Is Loxahatchee Groves 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 Palm Beach County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Loxahatchee Groves?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Loxahatchee Groves’ 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 Loxahatchee Groves?
By FEMA money that reached Loxahatchee Groves, Hurricane Milton (2024): 9 households applied for aid, $1K approved, and $528K to the Town of Loxahatchee Groves for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 1 paid, $5K.
Is Loxahatchee Groves at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Loxahatchee Groves’ rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Loxahatchee Groves.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Loxahatchee Groves’ 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.