Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Ponce Inlet’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ponce Inlet gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #227 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (57%), then river and rain flooding (29%). Flood insurance has paid 136 claims here since 1982.
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 Ponce Inlet’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Ponce Inlet 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 Ponce Inlet’s grade
Hurricanes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ponce Inlet, and Ponce Inlet’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 8%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C #227 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ponce Inlet’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ponce Inlet has less expected damage per building than 65% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Ponce Inlet: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ponce Inlet flood? Yes: 136 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ponce Inlet, from FEMA’s records: 42.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ian46 claims · $3.2M
- Hurricane Irma24 claims · $2.4M
- Hurricane Frances15 claims · $473K
Ponce Inlet is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Volusia County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ponce Inlet
Disasters that paid out in Ponce Inlet itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ponce Inlet), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton54 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$217K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $347K
- 2022Hurricane Nicole24 households applied for aid$17K aid approved10 flood claims paid for it, $444K
- 2022Hurricane Ian148 households applied for aid$175K aid approved$367K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs46 flood claims paid for it, $3.2M
- 2017Hurricane Irma77 households applied for aid$66K aid approved$89K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs24 flood claims paid for it, $2.4M
- 2016Hurricane Matthew100 households applied for aid$57K aid approved$235K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs10 flood claims paid for it, $1.3M
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds8 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$16K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
Show all 11
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne44 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$48K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances175 households applied for aid$104K aid approved$128K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs15 flood claims paid for it, $473K
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley81 households applied for aid$39K aid approved$63K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs
- 1999Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req$3K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$17K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs
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.
Old photos of Ponce Inlet after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ponce Inlet archive →Ponce Inlet and its neighbors
Ponce Inlet 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Orange | Cmore damage than 72% | hurricanes | 1,882 |
| Ponce Inlet | Cmore damage than 73% | hurricanes | 136 |
| New Smyrna Beach | C−more damage than 75% | hurricanes | 966 |
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 Ponce Inlet 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.
- Ponce Inlet residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Ponce Inlet
Is Ponce Inlet at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ponce Inlet has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #227 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (57%) and river and rain flooding (29%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ponce Inlet flood?
Flood insurance has paid 136 claims in Ponce Inlet since 1982, $8.5M in all, or 42.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 17 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (46).
Is Ponce Inlet 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 Ponce Inlet?
Ponce Inlet is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. 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 Inlet?
By FEMA money that reached Ponce Inlet, Hurricane Ian (2022): 148 households applied for aid, $175K approved, and $367K to the Town of Ponce Inlet for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 46 paid, $3.2M.
Is Ponce Inlet at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Ponce Inlet’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ponce Inlet.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ponce Inlet’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.