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Old Baker County CourthouseOld Baker County Courthouse · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY 2.5
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Macclenny · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Macclenny as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Macclenny gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #21 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hurricanes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 68%Hurricanes 22%Wildfire 4%

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

less than 58%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#21 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
B#21 of 638
in Florida · lower than 58% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1998 · $151K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 27 declared for Baker County
By hazard

What Macclenny 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

68%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hurricanes

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Lightning Cold waves Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 9% of Macclenny’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Macclenny’s grade

River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Macclenny, and Macclenny’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Macclenny sits
Macclenny
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #21 of 638 in Florida; lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Macclenny’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 flooding68%Hurricanes22%Wildfire4%Everything else5%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Macclenny has less expected damage per building than 97% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Macclenny: $1.3M 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 1,236 aid registrations from Macclenny addresses (the town has 2,855 homes).
A small-area figure. Macclenny 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 Macclenny flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Macclenny, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 2 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 4 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19982003
19982026
6
paid claims since 1998
$151K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$25K
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

Macclenny isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Baker County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
5buildings retrofitted against wind
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Macclenny

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene429 households applied for aid$432K aid approved
  2. 2024Hurricane Debby95 households applied for aid$220K aid approved$21K to the City of Macclenny for repairs
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma1,236 households applied for aid$571K aid approved$268K to the City of Macclenny for repairs
  4. 2012Tropical Storm Debby105 households applied for aid$394K aid approved$104K to the City of Macclenny for repairs
  5. 2008Tropical Storm Fay35 households applied for aid$65K aid approved$88K to the City of Macclenny for repairs
  6. 2004Hurricane Jeanne134 households applied for aid$148K aid approved$26K to the City of Macclenny for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2004Hurricane Frances98 households applied for aid$154K aid approved$96K to the City of Macclenny for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MacclennyBaker County only

Baker County has had 27 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 Baker County, 1999–2007.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Macclenny archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Macclenny 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 Macclenny

Is Macclenny at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Macclenny has lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #21 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hurricanes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Macclenny flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Macclenny since 1998, $151K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Macclenny 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 Baker County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Macclenny?

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

By FEMA money that reached Macclenny, Hurricane Irma (2017): 1,236 households applied for aid, $571K approved, and $268K to the City of Macclenny for repairs.

Is Macclenny at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Macclenny’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Macclenny.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Macclenny’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.