Photo: CubanoBoi · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Montura faces more hazard damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montura gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #413 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (38%), then wildfire (31%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2017.
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 Montura faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Wildfire
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 Montura’s grade
Hurricanes are 38% of the building damage FEMA expects in Montura, and Montura’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 31%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D #413 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Montura’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Montura has more expected damage per building than 65% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Montura: $856K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Montura flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Montura, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irma1 claim · $19K
Montura isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hendry County.The storms Montura remembers
None of the 26 disasters declared for Hendry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Montura itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20171 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irma, declared for Hendry County
Hendry County has had 26 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Hendry County, 1999–2007.
Old photos of Montura after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Montura archive →Get ready for what Montura 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Montura
Is Montura at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montura has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #413 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (38%) and wildfire (31%). 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.
Does Montura flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Montura since 2017, $19K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (1).
Is Montura 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 Hendry County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Montura?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Montura’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 Montura?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 1 paid, $19K.
Is Montura at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (38%), and Montura’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Montura.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Montura’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.