Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY-SA 1.0Storms, floods and disasters in Sea Ranch Lakes
Sea Ranch Lakes isn’t graded for hazard risk: Sea Ranch Lakes has 466 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1999.
What Sea Ranch Lakes 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
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.
Does Sea Ranch Lakes flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1999
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sea Ranch Lakes, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $18K
- Hurricane Eta1 claim · $62K
- Hurricane Isaac1 claim · $3K
Sea Ranch Lakes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Broward County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sea Ranch Lakes
Disasters that paid out in Sea Ranch Lakes itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Sea Ranch Lakes), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$300 aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma24 households applied for aid$6K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2005Hurricane Wilma24 households applied for aid$17K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Broward County has had 32 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 Broward County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Sea Ranch Lakes after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sea Ranch Lakes archive →Sea Ranch Lakes and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale-by-the-Sea | Cmore damage than 72% | hurricanes | 32 |
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 Sea Ranch Lakes 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.
- 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 Sea Ranch Lakes
Does Sea Ranch Lakes flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Sea Ranch Lakes since 1999, $433K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).
Is Sea Ranch Lakes 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 Broward County, 76% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 19.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sea Ranch Lakes?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sea Ranch Lakes’ 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 Sea Ranch Lakes?
By FEMA money that reached Sea Ranch Lakes, Hurricane Wilma (2005): 24 households applied for aid, $17K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $18K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sea Ranch Lakes.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sea Ranch Lakes’ 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.