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Louis P. Thursby HouseLouis P. Thursby House · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Orange City · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Orange City than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orange City gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #384 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then hurricanes (41%). Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 2004.

River and rain flooding 54%Hurricanes 41%Tornadoes 4%

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 85%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#384 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
D#384 of 638
in Florida · higher than 85% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
19
paid since 2004 · $1.9M
Flooded more than once
1
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
13
of 30 declared for Volusia County
By hazard

What Orange City 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

54%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hurricanes

41%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
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire 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 Orange City’s grade

River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orange City, and Orange City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 41%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Orange City sits
Orange City
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #384 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Orange City’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding54%Hurricanes41%Tornadoes4%Everything else1%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Orange City has more expected damage per building than 60% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.2M a year in losses across Orange City: $4.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 3,325 aid registrations from Orange City addresses (the town has 7,049 homes).
A small-area figure. Orange City covers 6 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Orange City flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Orange City, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 3 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 3 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 2 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 11 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420082024
20042026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Milton11 claims · $1.0M
  • Tropical Storm Fay3 claims · $603K
  • Hurricane Ian2 claims · $185K
19
paid claims since 2004
$1.9M
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$101K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Volusia County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Orange City

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton1,927 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved$1.1M to the City of Orange City for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $1.0M
  2. 2022Hurricane Nicole56 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$85K to the City of Orange City for repairs
  3. 2022Hurricane Ian2,147 households applied for aid$1.0M aid approved$718K to the City of Orange City for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $185K
  4. 2019Hurricane Dorian$49K to the City of Orange City for repairs
  5. 2017Hurricane Irma3,325 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$670K to the City of Orange City for repairs
  6. 2016Hurricane Matthew221 households applied for aid$31K aid approved$203K to the City of Orange City for repairs
Show all 13
  1. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds6 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$9K to the City of Orange City for repairs
  2. 2008Tropical Storm Fay139 households applied for aid$122K aid approved$160K to the City of Orange City for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $603K
  3. 2004Hurricane Jeanne377 households applied for aid$245K aid approved$184K to the City of Orange City for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
  4. 2004Hurricane Ivan19 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  5. 2004Hurricane Frances1,153 households applied for aid$823K aid approved$326K to the City of Orange City for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $85K
  6. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley498 households applied for aid$331K aid approved$249K to the City of Orange City for repairs
  7. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$8K to the City of Orange City for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Orange CityVolusia County only

Volusia 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Volusia County, 2006–2007.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Orange City archive →
Next door

Orange City and its neighbors

Orange City is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

DeBary: hazard risk C−Deltona: hazard risk C−DeBaryDeltonaOrange City
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DeBaryC−more damage than 84%river and rain flooding87
DeltonaC−more damage than 85%river and rain flooding87
Orange CityDmore damage than 85%river and rain flooding19

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Orange City 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 ↗
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 Orange City

Is Orange City at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orange City has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #384 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and hurricanes (41%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Orange City flood?

Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Orange City since 2004, $1.9M in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Milton (11).

Is Orange City 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 Volusia County, 57% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 11.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Orange City?

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

By FEMA money that reached Orange City, Hurricane Milton (2024): 1,927 households applied for aid, $1.5M approved, and $1.1M to the City of Orange City for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Milton: 11 paid, $1.0M.

Is Orange City at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Orange City’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orange City.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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