Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Okeechobee faces more hazard damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Okeechobee gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #524 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then hurricanes (30%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2004.
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 Okeechobee 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
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 Okeechobee’s grade
River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Okeechobee, and Okeechobee’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 30%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
D #524 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Okeechobee’s residents live in 5 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, Okeechobee has more expected damage per building than 82% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Okeechobee: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Okeechobee flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Okeechobee, 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.
- Hurricane Irma2 claims · $56K
- Hurricane Isaac2 claims · $38K
- Hurricane Frances1 claim · $25K
Okeechobee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Okeechobee County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Okeechobee
Disasters that paid out in Okeechobee itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Okeechobee), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton1,547 households applied for aid$2.0M aid approved
- 2022Hurricane Ian1,982 households applied for aid$1.9M aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma5,497 households applied for aid$2.4M aid approved$71K to the City of Okeechobee for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $56K
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay506 households applied for aid$341K aid approved$14K to the City of Okeechobee for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Wilma2,042 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved$77K to the City of Okeechobee for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $18K
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne5,982 households applied for aid$12.3M aid approved$58K to the City of Okeechobee for repairs
Show all 11
- 2004Hurricane Ivan106 households applied for aid$28K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances5,385 households applied for aid$6.1M aid approved$180K to the City of Okeechobee for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $25K
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley107 households applied for aid$70K aid approved$5K to the City of Okeechobee for repairs
- 43 households applied for aid$340 aid approved
- 18 households applied for aid$700 aid approved
Okeechobee County has had 23 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 Okeechobee County, 1999–2007.
Old photos of Okeechobee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Okeechobee archive →Okeechobee and its neighbors
Okeechobee is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cypress Quarters | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Okeechobee | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 Okeechobee 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.
- 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 Okeechobee
Is Okeechobee at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Okeechobee has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #524 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and hurricanes (30%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Okeechobee flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Okeechobee since 2004, $137K in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (2).
Is Okeechobee 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 Okeechobee County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 6.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Okeechobee?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Okeechobee’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 Okeechobee?
By FEMA money that reached Okeechobee, Hurricane Jeanne (2004): 5,982 households applied for aid, $12.3M approved, and $58K to the City of Okeechobee for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 2 paid, $56K.
Is Okeechobee at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Okeechobee’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Okeechobee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Okeechobee’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.