Photo: Skye Marthaler · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Mary Esther’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mary Esther gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #412 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (87%). Flood insurance has paid 81 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 Mary Esther’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Mary Esther 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 Mary Esther’s grade
Hurricanes are 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mary Esther, and Mary Esther’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 9% (lower than 99% of U.S. census tracts).
D #412 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mary Esther’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, Mary Esther has more expected damage per building than 65% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Mary Esther: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mary Esther flood? Sometimes: 81 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mary Esther, from FEMA’s records: 41.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ivan35 claims · $2.8M
- Hurricane Opal22 claims · $1.4M
- The Mid-spring storms6 claims · $65K
Mary Esther is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Okaloosa County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mary Esther
Disasters that paid out in Mary Esther itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Mary Esther), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Sally164 households applied for aid$116K aid approved$181K to the City of Mary Esther for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $32K
- 2018Hurricane Michael$8K to the City of Mary Esther for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding94 households applied for aid$185K aid approved$1.1M to the City of Mary Esther for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Hurricane Dennis474 households applied for aid$224K aid approved$931K to the City of Mary Esther for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $139K
- 2004Hurricane Ivan1,716 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved$480K to the City of Mary Esther for repairs35 flood claims paid for it, $2.8M
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 Mary Esther after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mary Esther archive →Mary Esther and its neighbors
Mary Esther has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Esther | Dmore damage than 88% | hurricanes | 81 |
| Hurlburt Field | Dmore damage than 89% | hurricanes | — |
| Fort Walton Beach | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | 545 |
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 Mary Esther 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.
- Mary Esther residents get 20% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Mary Esther
Is Mary Esther at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mary Esther has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #412 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (87%) and river and rain flooding (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mary Esther flood?
Flood insurance has paid 81 claims in Mary Esther since 1979, $4.6M in all, or 41.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 15 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ivan (35).
Is Mary Esther 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 Mary Esther?
Mary Esther is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Mary Esther?
By FEMA money that reached Mary Esther, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 1,716 households applied for aid, $1.8M approved, and $480K to the City of Mary Esther for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ivan: 35 paid, $2.8M.
Is Mary Esther at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Mary Esther’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mary Esther.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mary Esther’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.