More hazard damage per building is expected in Pelican Bay than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pelican Bay gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #541 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (69%), then river and rain flooding (21%). Flood insurance has paid 322 claims here since 1988.
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 Pelican Bay’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Pelican Bay 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
Coastal 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 Pelican Bay’s grade
Hurricanes are 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pelican Bay, and Pelican Bay’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 8%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #541 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pelican Bay’s residents live in 3 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, Pelican Bay has more expected damage per building than 85% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.3M a year in losses across Pelican Bay: $8.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pelican Bay flood? Yes: 322 flood claims since 1988
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pelican Bay, from FEMA’s records: 47.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ian263 claims · $47.2M
- Hurricane Milton22 claims · $3.8M
- Hurricane Irma18 claims · $1.2M
Pelican Bay isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Collier County.The storms Pelican Bay remembers
None of the 36 disasters declared for Collier County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pelican Bay itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2022263 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Nicole, declared for Collier County
- 202433 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Milton, declared for Collier County
- 201719 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irma, declared for Collier County
Collier County has had 36 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 7 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Collier County, 1999–2020.
Old photos of Pelican Bay after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pelican Bay archive →Pelican Bay and its neighbors
Pelican Bay is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naples | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 3,566 |
| Pelican Bay | Dmore damage than 94% | hurricanes | 322 |
| Pine Ridge | Dmore damage than 94% | hurricanes | 15 |
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 Pelican Bay 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Pelican Bay
Is Pelican Bay at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pelican Bay has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #541 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (69%) and river and rain flooding (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pelican Bay flood?
Flood insurance has paid 322 claims in Pelican Bay since 1988, $54.1M in all, or 47.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (263).
Is Pelican Bay 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 Collier County, 29.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Pelican Bay?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pelican Bay’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 Pelican Bay?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 263 paid, $47.2M.
Is Pelican Bay at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Pelican Bay’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pelican Bay.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pelican Bay’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.