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Ponce de Leon town hall01Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Ponce de Leon · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Ponce de Leon

Ponce de Leon isn’t graded for hazard risk: Ponce de Leon has 780 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 29 declared for Holmes County
By hazard

What Ponce de Leon faces

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

Hurricanes

64%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

River and rain flooding

32%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Wildfire Lightning Hail Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Ponce de Leon flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ponce de Leon. 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

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

Insurance rates: Holmes County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
20flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
2homes raised above flood level
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ponce de Leon

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

  1. 2022Hurricane Ian2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  2. 2020Hurricane Sally10 households applied for aid$38K aid approved
  3. 2018Hurricane Michael118 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
  4. 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding21 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
  5. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds16 households applied for aid$76K aid approved$12K to the Town of Ponce de Leon for repairs
  6. 2005Hurricane Dennis24 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2004Hurricane Ivan247 households applied for aid$411K aid approved$10K to the Town of Ponce de Leon for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Ponce de LeonHolmes County only

Holmes County has had 29 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 Holmes County, 1999–1999.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ponce de Leon archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ponce de Leon 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 Ponce de Leon

Is Ponce de Leon 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 Holmes County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ponce de Leon?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ponce de Leon’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 Ponce de Leon?

By FEMA money that reached Ponce de Leon, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 247 households applied for aid, $411K approved, and $10K to the Town of Ponce de Leon for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ponce de Leon.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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