Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY 2.5FEMA puts Montverde’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montverde gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then hurricanes (19%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Montverde 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
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Wildfire
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 Montverde’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Montverde, and Montverde’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 6%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Montverde’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $515K a year in losses across Montverde: $359K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Montverde flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Montverde. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Montverde isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lake County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Montverde
Disasters that paid out in Montverde itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Montverde), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton198 households applied for aid$201K aid approved$245K to the Town of Montverde for repairs
- 2022Hurricane Ian87 households applied for aid$67K aid approved$54K to the Town of Montverde for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma303 households applied for aid$83K aid approved$83K to the Town of Montverde for repairs
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne89 households applied for aid$65K aid approved$41K to the Town of Montverde for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances63 households applied for aid$44K aid approved$22K to the Town of Montverde for repairs
Show all 7
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley20 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$18K to the Town of Montverde for repairs
Lake County has had 24 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Lake County, 2000–2007.
Old photos of Montverde after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Montverde archive →Montverde and its neighbors
Montverde has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montverde | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Ferndale | — | 359 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Montverde faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Montverde
Is Montverde at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Montverde has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and hurricanes (19%). 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 Montverde 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 Lake County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Montverde?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Montverde’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 Montverde?
By FEMA money that reached Montverde, Hurricane Milton (2024): 198 households applied for aid, $201K approved, and $245K to the Town of Montverde for repairs.
Is Montverde at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Montverde’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Montverde.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Montverde’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.