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Robert W. Ferguson HouseRobert W. Ferguson House · Photo: Paukenaut · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ocala Estates · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Ocala Estates than in 83% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ocala Estates gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%), then hurricanes (40%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 46%Hurricanes 40%Wildfire 9%

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 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Florida · higher than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
46% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2008 · $39K
Flood claims per home
3 per 1,000
fewer than 51% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Ocala Estates 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

46%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

40%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

Wildfire

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Ocala Estates’ grade

River and rain flooding is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ocala Estates, and Ocala Estates’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 40%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ocala Estates sits
Ocala Estates
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding46%Hurricanes40%Wildfire9%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Ocala Estates: $859K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Ocala Estates’ 2,991 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 Ocala Estates flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ocala Estates, from FEMA’s records: 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20082017
20082026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irma1 claim · $9K
  • Tropical Storm Fay1 claim · $30K
2
paid claims since 2008
$39K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Marion County.
Disasters

The storms Ocala Estates remembers

None of the 25 disasters declared for Marion County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ocala Estates itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20081 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Fay, declared for Marion County
  2. 20171 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irma, declared for Marion County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Ocala EstatesMarion County only

Marion County has had 25 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 Marion County, 1999–2000.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ocala Estates archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ocala Estates faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Ocala Estates

Is Ocala Estates at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ocala Estates has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%) and hurricanes (40%). 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 Ocala Estates flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Ocala Estates since 2008, $39K in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (1).

Is Ocala Estates 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 Marion County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ocala Estates?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 1 paid, $9K.

Is Ocala Estates at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Ocala Estates’ rate for it is higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ocala Estates.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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