FEMA puts Oriole Beach’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oriole Beach gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (77%), then river and rain flooding (16%). Flood insurance has paid 1,023 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 Oriole Beach’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Oriole Beach 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 Oriole Beach’s grade
Hurricanes are 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oriole Beach, and Oriole Beach’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 3%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Oriole Beach’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $964K a year in losses across Oriole Beach: $772K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oriole Beach flood? Yes: 1,023 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oriole Beach, from FEMA’s records: 1,222.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ivan616 claims · $61.3M
- Hurricane Sally89 claims · $3.5M
- Hurricane Opal82 claims · $963K
Oriole Beach isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Santa Rosa County.The storms Oriole Beach remembers
None of the 34 disasters declared for Santa Rosa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oriole Beach itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2004649 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Ivan, declared for Santa Rosa County
- 200592 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Katrina, declared for Santa Rosa County
- 202090 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sally, declared for Santa Rosa County
Santa Rosa County has had 34 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Rosa County, 2020–2020.
Old photos of Oriole Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oriole Beach archive →Oriole Beach and its neighbors
Oriole Beach is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf Breeze | Dmore damage than 88% | hurricanes | 538 |
| Midway | Dmore damage than 89% | hurricanes | 1,406 |
| Oriole Beach | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | 1,023 |
| Tiger Point | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | — |
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 Oriole Beach 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 Oriole Beach
Is Oriole Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oriole Beach has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (77%) and river and rain flooding (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Oriole Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,023 claims in Oriole Beach since 1979, $73.7M in all, or 1,222.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ivan (616).
Is Oriole Beach 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 Santa Rosa County, 67% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 14.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oriole Beach?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oriole Beach’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 Oriole Beach?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ivan: 616 paid, $61.3M.
Is Oriole Beach at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Oriole Beach’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oriole Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oriole Beach’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.