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ErnestlyonsbridgePhoto: AdamFirst at English Wikipedia · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sewall's Point · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Sewall's Point than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sewall's Point gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (74%), then river and rain flooding (22%). Flood insurance has paid 95 claims here since 1984.

Hurricanes 74%River and rain flooding 22%Coastal flooding 3%

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
Hazard risk
D−
in Florida · higher than 95% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
95
paid since 1984 · $3.0M
Flooded more than once
16
properties
Disasters paid out here
9
of 27 declared for Martin County

What stands out about Sewall's Point’s natural hazards

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

Coastal flooding: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 2.7% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way15 homes raised above flood level with FEMA grants.Remembers 200489 flood claims were paid for 2004 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Sewall's Point faces

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

Hurricanes

74%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 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Coastal flooding top 2% Tornadoes Strong wind Wildfire 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 Sewall's Point’s grade

Hurricanes are 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sewall's Point, and Sewall's Point’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 3%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sewall's Point sits
Sewall's Point
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Sewall's Point’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes74%River and rain flooding22%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Sewall's Point: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Sewall's Point’s 1,991 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Sewall's Point flood? Sometimes: 95 flood claims since 1984

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sewall's Point, from FEMA’s records: 93.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1984: 3 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 89 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198420012004
19842026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Jeanne58 claims · $1.9M
  • Hurricane Frances29 claims · $1.0M
  • Hurricane Ivan2 claims · $80K
95
paid claims since 1984
$3.0M
paid to owners
16
homes flooded more than once
$32K
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
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Martin County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
15homes raised above flood level
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sewall's Point

Disasters that paid out in Sewall's Point itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Sewall's Point), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton$58K to the Town of Sewall's Point for repairs
  2. 2019Hurricane Dorian$107K to the Town of Sewall's Point for repairs
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma2 households applied for aid$363K to the Town of Sewall's Point for repairs
  4. 2016Hurricane Matthew$147K to the Town of Sewall's Point for repairs
  5. 2005Hurricane Wilma2 households applied for aid$836 aid approved$239K to the Town of Sewall's Point for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $16K
  6. 2004Hurricane Jeanne17 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$106K to the Town of Sewall's Point for repairs58 flood claims paid for it, $1.9M
Show all 9
  1. 2004Hurricane Frances34 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$1.1M to the Town of Sewall's Point for repairs29 flood claims paid for it, $1.0M
  2. 1999Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req$3K to the Town of Sewall's Point for repairs
  3. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$6K to the Town of Sewall's Point for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Sewall's PointMartin County only

Martin County has had 27 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 Martin County, 1999–2009.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Sewall's Point archive →
Next door

Sewall's Point and its neighbors

Sewall's Point is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Jensen Beach: hazard risk DJensen BeachSewall's Point
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Jensen BeachDmore damage than 94%hurricanes101
Sewall's PointD−more damage than 95%hurricanes95

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 Sewall's Point 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 Sewall's Point

Is Sewall's Point at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sewall's Point has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (74%) and river and rain flooding (22%). 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 Sewall's Point flood?

Flood insurance has paid 95 claims in Sewall's Point since 1984, $3.0M in all, or 93.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 16 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Jeanne (58).

Is Sewall's Point 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 Martin County, 78% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 14.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Sewall's Point?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sewall's Point’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 Sewall's Point?

By FEMA money that reached Sewall's Point, Hurricane Frances (2004): 34 households applied for aid, $17K approved, and $1.1M to the Town of Sewall's Point for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Jeanne: 58 paid, $1.9M.

Is Sewall's Point at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Sewall's Point’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sewall's Point.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sewall's Point’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.