Clarence L. Babcock House · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Solana
Solana isn’t graded for hazard risk: Solana has 948 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 392 claims here since 1979.
What Solana 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 Solana flood? Yes: 392 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Solana, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Milton139 claims · $9.6M
- Hurricane Helene99 claims · $8.6M
- The Torrential rain29 claims · $582K
Solana isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Charlotte County.The storms Solana remembers
None of the 29 disasters declared for Charlotte County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Solana itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2024239 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Milton, declared for Charlotte County
- 200129 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding Associated with Tropical Storm Gabrielle, declared for Charlotte County
- 198227 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Charlotte 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Charlotte County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Solana after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Solana archive →Solana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punta Gorda | Dmore damage than 95% | hurricanes | 1,372 |
| Cleveland | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | — |
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 Solana 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 Solana
Does Solana flood?
Flood insurance has paid 392 claims in Solana since 1979, $21.5M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Milton (139).
Is Solana 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 Charlotte County, 58% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 32.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Solana?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Solana’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 Solana?
By flood claims, Hurricane Milton: 139 paid, $9.6M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Solana.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Solana’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.