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Midway City HallPhoto: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Midway · FEMA

FEMA puts Midway’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 65% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Midway gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #128 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (48%), then river and rain flooding (42%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 48%River and rain flooding 42%Tornadoes 6%

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

more than 65%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#128 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C#128 of 638
in Florida · higher than 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
48% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 28 declared for Gadsden County
By hazard

What Midway faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

48%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

42%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Hail Winter storms Cold waves 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 cold waves at 14% of Midway’s expected losses. Cold 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 Midway’s grade

Hurricanes are 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Midway, and Midway’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Midway sits
Midway
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #128 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Midway’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes48%River and rain flooding42%Tornadoes6%Everything else4%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Midway has less expected damage per building than 80% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Midway: $898K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Michael in 2018, FEMA took 447 aid registrations from Midway addresses (the town has 1,303 homes).
Shared tract.All of Midway’s 3,537 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Midway flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Midway. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Gadsden County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Midway

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene$61K to the City of Midway for repairs
  2. 2018Hurricane Michael447 households applied for aid$94K aid approved$200K to the City of Midway for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$20K to the City of Midway for repairs
  4. 2008Tropical Storm Fay4 households applied for aid$246 aid approved
  5. 2001Tropical Storm Allison$10K to the City of Midway for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MidwayGadsden County only

Gadsden County has had 28 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Midway archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Midway faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
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 Midway

Is Midway at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Midway has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #128 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (48%) and river and rain flooding (42%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Midway 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 Gadsden County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Midway?

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

By FEMA money that reached Midway, Hurricane Michael (2018): 447 households applied for aid, $94K approved, and $200K to the City of Midway for repairs.

Is Midway at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Midway’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Midway.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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