Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Morriston

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Morriston · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Morriston

Morriston isn’t graded for hazard risk: Morriston has 50 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
8
of 31 declared for Levy County
By hazard

What Morriston faces

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

Hurricanes

53%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

35%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Wildfire

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Cold waves top 1% Earthquakes Lightning Hail Winter storms 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 Morriston’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.5%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Morriston flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Morriston. 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

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

Insurance rates: Levy County.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Morriston

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene86 households applied for aid$166K aid approved
  2. 2024Hurricane Debby55 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
  3. 2023Hurricane Idalia31 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma609 households applied for aid$167K aid approved
  5. 2016Hurricane Hermine8 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  6. 2004Hurricane Jeanne134 households applied for aid$170K aid approved
Show all 8
  1. 2004Hurricane Frances215 households applied for aid$205K aid approved
  2. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley12 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MorristonLevy County only

Levy County has had 31 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Levy County, 1999–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Morriston archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Morriston 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
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 Morriston

Is Morriston 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 Levy County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Morriston?

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

By FEMA money that reached Morriston, Hurricane Frances (2004): 215 households applied for aid, $205K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Morriston.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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