Photo: Magnolia677 · CC BY 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Port LaBelle than in 84% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port LaBelle gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #366 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%), then hurricanes (40%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Port LaBelle faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Wildfire
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 Port LaBelle’s grade
River and rain flooding is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Port LaBelle, and Port LaBelle’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 40%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #366 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Port LaBelle’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, Port LaBelle has more expected damage per building than 57% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.9M a year in losses across Port LaBelle: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Port LaBelle flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Port LaBelle. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Port LaBelle isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hendry County.The storms Port LaBelle remembers
None of the 26 disasters declared for Hendry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Port LaBelle itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Hendry County has had 26 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Hendry County, 1999–2007.
Port LaBelle and its neighbors
Port LaBelle has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port LaBelle | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| LaBelle | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Port LaBelle faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Port LaBelle
Is Port LaBelle at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port LaBelle has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #366 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%) and hurricanes (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Port LaBelle 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 Hendry County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Port LaBelle?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Port LaBelle’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Port LaBelle at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Port LaBelle’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Port LaBelle.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Port LaBelle’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.