More hazard damage per building is expected in Medulla than in 78% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Medulla gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #292 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (43%), then river and rain flooding (40%). Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1997.
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 Medulla 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
Strong wind
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 Medulla’s grade
Hurricanes are 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in Medulla, and Medulla’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 12%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #292 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Medulla’s residents live in 5 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, Medulla has less expected damage per building than 54% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Medulla: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Medulla flood? Sometimes: 30 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Medulla, from FEMA’s records: 6.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Milton9 claims · $1.4M
- Hurricane Irma4 claims · $528K
- Hurricane Frances3 claims · $129K
Medulla isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Polk County.The storms Medulla remembers
None of the 27 disasters declared for Polk County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Medulla itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20249 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Milton, declared for Polk County
- 20047 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Jeanne, declared for Polk County
- 20024 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Polk 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Polk County, 1999–2017.
Old photos of Medulla after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Medulla archive →Medulla and its neighbors
Medulla is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland Highlands | Cmore damage than 75% | hurricanes | 12 |
| Fuller Heights | C−more damage than 77% | hurricanes | 2 |
| Medulla | C−more damage than 78% | hurricanes | 30 |
| Willow Oak | C−more damage than 80% | hurricanes | 8 |
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 Medulla 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Medulla
Is Medulla at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Medulla has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #292 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (43%) and river and rain flooding (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Medulla flood?
Flood insurance has paid 30 claims in Medulla since 1997, $2.3M in all, or 6.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Milton (9).
Is Medulla 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 Polk County, 37% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Medulla?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Medulla’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 Medulla?
By flood claims, Hurricane Milton: 9 paid, $1.4M.
Is Medulla at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and Medulla’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Medulla.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Medulla’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.