FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in North Fort Myers than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, North Fort Myers gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #474 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (68%), then river and rain flooding (24%). Flood insurance has paid 1,786 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about North Fort Myers’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What North Fort Myers 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
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 North Fort Myers’ grade
Hurricanes are 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in North Fort Myers, and North Fort Myers’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 3%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D #474 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
North Fort Myers’ residents live in 19 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, North Fort Myers has more expected damage per building than 74% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $22.8M a year in losses across North Fort Myers: $20.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does North Fort Myers flood? Yes: 1,786 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in North Fort Myers, from FEMA’s records: 61.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ian1,168 claims · $157M
- Hurricane Helene188 claims · $16.7M
- Hurricane Milton149 claims · $6.3M
North Fort Myers isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lee County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to North Fort Myers
Disasters that paid out in North Fort Myers itself (aid to households or repair grants to North Fort Myers), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton3,732 households applied for aid$5.9M aid approved149 flood claims paid for it, $6.3M
- 2024Hurricane Helene1,014 households applied for aid$3.3M aid approved188 flood claims paid for it, $16.7M
- 2022Hurricane Ian18,874 households applied for aid$75.7M aid approved1,168 flood claims paid for it, $157M
- 2017Hurricane Irma8,443 households applied for aid$4.3M aid approved50 flood claims paid for it, $1.1M
- 2005Hurricane Wilma752 households applied for aid$495K aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Hurricane Ivan46 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
Show all 8
- 2004Hurricane Frances321 households applied for aid$505K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley3,497 households applied for aid$3.2M aid approved
Lee County has had 30 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Lee County, 1999–2017.
Old photos of North Fort Myers after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the North Fort Myers archive →North Fort Myers and its neighbors
North Fort Myers is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | Dmore damage than 89% | hurricanes | 711 |
| Cape Coral | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | 4,381 |
| Lochmoor Waterway Estates | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | 707 |
| North Fort Myers | Dmore damage than 91% | hurricanes | 1,786 |
| Suncoast Estates | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 1 |
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 North Fort Myers 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.
- 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 North Fort Myers
Is North Fort Myers at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, North Fort Myers has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #474 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (68%) and river and rain flooding (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does North Fort Myers flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,786 claims in North Fort Myers since 1979, $184M in all, or 61.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (1,168).
Is North Fort Myers 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 Lee County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 24.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in North Fort Myers?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for North Fort Myers’ 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 North Fort Myers?
By FEMA money that reached North Fort Myers, Hurricane Ian (2022): 18,874 households applied for aid, $75.7M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 1,168 paid, $157M.
Is North Fort Myers at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and North Fort Myers’ rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in North Fort Myers.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where North Fort Myers’ 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.