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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Port St. John · FEMA

FEMA puts Port St. John’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port St. John gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #560 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (64%), then river and rain flooding (32%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1999.

Hurricanes 64%River and rain flooding 32%Wildfire 2%

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 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#560 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
D#560 of 638
in Florida · higher than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
16
paid since 1999 · $399K
Disasters paid out here
9
of 29 declared for Brevard County
By hazard

What Port St. John 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 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

32%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Strong wind Lightning Coastal flooding Hail Earthquakes 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 Port St. John’s grade

Hurricanes are 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Port St. John, and Port St. John’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Port St. John sits
Port St. John
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #560 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Port St. John’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes64%River and rain flooding32%Everything else4%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Port St. John has more expected damage per building than 88% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.6M a year in losses across Port St. John: $11.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 7 census tracts by where Port St. John’s 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 Port St. John flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Port St. John, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 2 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 3 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 7 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 3 claims2026: 0 claims200820172025
19992026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irma7 claims · $220K
  • Tropical Storm Fay2 claims · $10K
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $6K
16
paid claims since 1999
$399K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$25K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Brevard County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Port St. John

Disasters that paid out in Port St. John itself (aid to households or repair grants to Port St. John), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton9 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  2. 2022Hurricane Ian7 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma102 households applied for aid$18K aid approved7 flood claims paid for it, $220K
  4. 2008Tropical Storm Fay7 households applied for aid$5K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $10K
  5. 2005Hurricane Wilma2 households applied for aid$464 aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
  6. 2004Hurricane Jeanne98 households applied for aid$43K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2004Hurricane Ivan5 households applied for aid$904 aid approved
  2. 2004Hurricane Frances186 households applied for aid$111K aid approved
  3. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley28 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Port St. JohnBrevard County only

Brevard 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Brevard County, 1999–2008.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Port St. John archive →
Next door

Port St. John and its neighbors

Port St. John is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Sharpes: hazard risk DSharpesPort St. John
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SharpesDmore damage than 91%hurricanes5
Port St. JohnDmore damage than 94%hurricanes16

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Port St. John 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 Port St. John

Is Port St. John at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port St. John has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #560 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (64%) and river and rain flooding (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Port St. John flood?

Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Port St. John since 1999, $399K in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (7).

Is Port St. John 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 Brevard County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 11.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Port St. John?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Port St. John’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 Port St. John?

By FEMA money that reached Port St. John, Hurricane Frances (2004): 186 households applied for aid, $111K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 7 paid, $220K.

Is Port St. John at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Port St. John’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Port St. John.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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