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Pahokee Florida Aerial - February 2016Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pahokee · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Pahokee as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pahokee gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #43 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (72%), then river and rain flooding (24%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1993.

Hurricanes 72%River and rain flooding 24%Tornadoes 2%

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 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#43 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
B−#43 of 638
in Florida · higher than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1993 · $46K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
11
of 29 declared for Palm Beach County
By hazard

What Pahokee faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

72%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

24%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Lightning top 2% Cold waves Strong wind Hail Earthquakes Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Pahokee’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.2%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Pahokee’s grade

Hurricanes are 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pahokee, and Pahokee’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 24% (lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Pahokee sits
Pahokee
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #43 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Pahokee’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes72%River and rain flooding24%Everything else4%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pahokee has less expected damage per building than 93% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Pahokee: $716K 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 2,243 aid registrations from Pahokee addresses (the town has 1,782 homes).
A small-area figure. Pahokee covers 2 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 Pahokee flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pahokee, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 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: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199319952004
19932026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Jeanne2 claims · $27K
4
paid claims since 1993
$46K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Palm Beach County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
5buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pahokee

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton287 households applied for aid$261K aid approved
  2. 2022Hurricane Ian878 households applied for aid$394K aid approved
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma2,243 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$373K to the City of Pahokee for repairs
  4. 2016Hurricane Matthew$14K to the City of Pahokee for repairs
  5. 2008Tropical Storm Fay$26K to the City of Pahokee for repairs
  6. 2005Hurricane Wilma1,824 households applied for aid$4.3M aid approved$1.2M to the City of Pahokee for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2004Hurricane Jeanne1,624 households applied for aid$4.9M aid approved$276K to the City of Pahokee for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $27K
  2. 2004Hurricane Ivan111 households applied for aid$46K aid approved
  3. 2004Hurricane Frances1,529 households applied for aid$3.1M aid approved$338K to the City of Pahokee for repairs
  4. 1999Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req$543K to the City of Pahokee for repairs
  5. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$5K to the City of Pahokee for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PahokeePalm Beach County only

Palm Beach County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter 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 Palm Beach County, 1999–1999.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Pahokee archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Pahokee faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Pahokee

Is Pahokee at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pahokee has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #43 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (72%) and river and rain flooding (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Pahokee flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Pahokee since 1993, $46K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Jeanne (2).

Is Pahokee 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 Palm Beach County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pahokee?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pahokee, Hurricane Wilma (2005): 1,824 households applied for aid, $4.3M approved, and $1.2M to the City of Pahokee for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Jeanne: 2 paid, $27K.

Is Pahokee at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Pahokee’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pahokee.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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