Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Ocklawaha faces more hazard damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ocklawaha gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (46%), then river and rain flooding (42%). 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 Ocklawaha 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
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 Ocklawaha’s grade
Hurricanes are 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ocklawaha, and Ocklawaha’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 5%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ocklawaha’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $392K a year in losses across Ocklawaha: $278K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ocklawaha flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ocklawaha. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Ocklawaha 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ocklawaha
Disasters that paid out in Ocklawaha itself (aid to households or repair grants to Ocklawaha), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton497 households applied for aid$392K aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma1,979 households applied for aid$787K aid approved
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay6 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne373 households applied for aid$471K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan17 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances493 households applied for aid$598K aid approved
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.
Old photos of Ocklawaha after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ocklawaha archive →Ocklawaha and its neighbors
Ocklawaha has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocklawaha | C−more damage than 75% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Silver Springs Shores East | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Ocklawaha 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.
- 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 Ocklawaha
Is Ocklawaha at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ocklawaha has higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (46%) and river and rain flooding (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Ocklawaha 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 Ocklawaha?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ocklawaha’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 Ocklawaha?
By FEMA money that reached Ocklawaha, Hurricane Irma (2017): 1,979 households applied for aid, $787K approved.
Is Ocklawaha at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Ocklawaha’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ocklawaha.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ocklawaha’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.