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Psl golf coursePhoto: Zverzver · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Port St. Lucie · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Port St. Lucie faces more hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port St. Lucie gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #582 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (76%), then river and rain flooding (22%). Flood insurance has paid 194 claims here since 1979.

Hurricanes 76%River and rain flooding 22%Tornadoes 1%

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 95%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#582 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
D−#582 of 638
in Florida · higher than 95% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
76% of expected building damage
Flood claims
194
paid since 1979 · $2.0M
Flooded more than once
17
properties
Flood insurance
25% off
Community discount (class 5)

What stands out about Port St. Lucie’s natural hazards

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

194 paid flood claims since 1979$2.0M in all; 17 properties flooded more than once.25% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Port St. Lucie residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5).Hurricanes: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hurricanes here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 75.8% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants19 buildings retrofitted against wind; 1 storm safe room built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Port St. Lucie faces

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

Hurricanes

76%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

22%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Wildfire Coastal flooding Lightning 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. Lucie’s grade

Hurricanes are 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Port St. Lucie, and Port St. Lucie’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 22% (higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts).

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

D− #582 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Port St. Lucie’s residents live in 40 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes76%River and rain flooding22%Everything else2%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Port St. Lucie has more expected damage per building than 91% of Florida towns.

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Port St. Lucie has higher expected damage per building than 92% (#368 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $111M, is the 100th largest of those 400.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 18,069 aid registrations from Port St. Lucie addresses (the town has 90,911 homes) and flood insurance paid 13 claims for $184K.
A firm figure. It combines 40 census tracts by where Port St. Lucie’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. Lucie flood? Yes: 194 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Port St. Lucie, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 3 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 2 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 1 claim1985: 2 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 1 claim1995: 8 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 6 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 2 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 56 claims2005: 11 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 53 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 18 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 2 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 13 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 4 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 2 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 1 claim200420082012
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Fay51 claims · $723K
  • Hurricane Frances28 claims · $295K
  • Hurricane Jeanne25 claims · $169K
194
paid claims since 1979
$2.0M
paid to owners
17
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount25% off flood insurance

Port St. Lucie is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: St. Lucie County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
19buildings retrofitted against wind
1storm safe room built
Disasters

16 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Port St. Lucie

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton7,010 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved$495K to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2022Hurricane Nicole$569K to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs
  3. 2022Hurricane Ian3 households applied for aid$869K to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs
  4. 2019Hurricane Dorian$263K to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs
  5. 2017Hurricane Irma18,069 households applied for aid$3.6M aid approved$3.5M to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $184K
  6. 2016Hurricane Matthew$3.3M to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs
Show all 16
  1. 2012Hurricane Isaac$160K to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs18 flood claims paid for it, $266K
  2. 2008Tropical Storm Fay820 households applied for aid$359K aid approved$564K to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs51 flood claims paid for it, $723K
  3. 2005Hurricane Wilma5,925 households applied for aid$2.3M aid approved$5.6M to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs9 flood claims paid for it, $87K
  4. 2004Hurricane Jeanne15,563 households applied for aid$12.0M aid approved$10.1M to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs25 flood claims paid for it, $169K
  5. 2004Hurricane Ivan206 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
  6. 2004Hurricane Frances22,485 households applied for aid$12.3M aid approved$8.1M to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs28 flood claims paid for it, $295K
  7. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley$3K to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs
  8. 1999Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req$147K to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs
  9. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$21K to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs
  10. 1999Fl-fires 04/15/99$767K to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Port St. LucieSt. Lucie County only

St. Lucie 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in St. Lucie County, 1999–2007.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Port St. Lucie archive →
Next door

Port St. Lucie and its neighbors

Port St. Lucie is 6th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

River Park: hazard risk D−White City: hazard risk DIndian River Estates: hazard risk DJensen Beach: hazard risk DPalm City: hazard risk DRiver ParkWhite CityIndian River EstatesJensen BeachPalm CityPort St. Lucie
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Jensen BeachDmore damage than 94%hurricanes101
White CityDmore damage than 94%hurricanes5
Indian River EstatesDmore damage than 95%hurricanes—
Palm CityDmore damage than 95%hurricanes304
River ParkD−more damage than 95%hurricanes—
Port St. LucieD−more damage than 95%hurricanes194

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. Lucie 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.
  • Port St. Lucie residents get 25% off flood insurance.
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. Lucie

Is Port St. Lucie at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port St. Lucie has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #582 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (76%) and river and rain flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Port St. Lucie flood?

Flood insurance has paid 194 claims in Port St. Lucie since 1979, $2.0M in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 17 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Fay (51).

Is Port St. Lucie 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 St. Lucie County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 8.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Port St. Lucie?

Port St. Lucie 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 Port St. Lucie?

By FEMA money that reached Port St. Lucie, Hurricane Jeanne (2004): 15,563 households applied for aid, $12.0M approved, and $10.1M to the City of Port St. Lucie for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Fay: 51 paid, $723K.

Is Port St. Lucie at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Port St. Lucie’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

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

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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