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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Pierson · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Pierson than in 86% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pierson gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (41%), then river and rain flooding (39%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 41%River and rain flooding 39%Wildfire 12%

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 86%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Florida · higher than 86% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
41% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
10
of 30 declared for Volusia County

What stands out about Pierson’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Coastal flooding: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 3.4% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants5 buildings retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Pierson faces

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

Hurricanes

41%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

39%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Wildfire

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Coastal flooding top 3% Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter 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 Pierson’s grade

Hurricanes are 41% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pierson, and Pierson’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 12%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pierson sits
Pierson
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes41%River and rain flooding39%Wildfire12%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Pierson: $693K 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 575 aid registrations from Pierson addresses (the town has 506 homes).
A small-area figure. Pierson 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 Pierson flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pierson. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Pierson 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
5buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pierson

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton253 households applied for aid$391K aid approved$56K to the Town of Pierson for repairs
  2. 2022Hurricane Nicole11 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  3. 2022Hurricane Ian271 households applied for aid$108K aid approved$29K to the Town of Pierson for repairs
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma575 households applied for aid$231K aid approved$10K to the Town of Pierson for repairs
  5. 2016Hurricane Matthew70 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$19K to the Town of Pierson for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds11 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$82K to the Town of Pierson for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2004Hurricane Jeanne137 households applied for aid$220K aid approved
  2. 2004Hurricane Frances319 households applied for aid$418K aid approved$37K to the Town of Pierson for repairs
  3. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley33 households applied for aid$74K aid approved
  4. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$1K to the Town of Pierson for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PiersonVolusia 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 Pierson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pierson archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Pierson 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 Pierson

Is Pierson at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pierson has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (41%) and river and rain flooding (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Pierson 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 Pierson?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pierson, Hurricane Frances (2004): 319 households applied for aid, $418K approved, and $37K to the Town of Pierson for repairs.

Is Pierson at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (41%), and Pierson’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pierson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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