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South Bay FL city hall01Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in South Bay · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in South Bay than in 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Bay gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #93 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (66%), then river and rain flooding (31%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 66%River and rain flooding 31%Tornadoes 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 61%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#93 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C+#93 of 638
in Florida · higher than 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
9
of 29 declared for Palm Beach County
By hazard

What South Bay faces

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

Hurricanes

66%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

31%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Lightning top 2% Strong wind Earthquakes Cold waves Hail Wildfire Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter 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 South Bay’s grade

Hurricanes are 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Bay, and South Bay’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 31% (lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts).

Where South Bay sits
South Bay
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #93 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of South Bay’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes66%River and rain flooding31%Everything else3%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, South Bay has less expected damage per building than 86% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across South Bay: $542K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 1,028 aid registrations from South Bay addresses (the town has 935 homes).
Shared tract.All of South Bay’s 4,860 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 South Bay flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in South Bay. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

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

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to South Bay

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton128 households applied for aid$42K aid approved
  2. 2022Hurricane Ian369 households applied for aid$191K aid approved
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma1,028 households applied for aid$620K aid approved$93K to the City of South Bay for repairs
  4. 2005Hurricane Wilma742 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved$248K to the City of South Bay for repairs
  5. 2004Hurricane Jeanne414 households applied for aid$624K aid approved$24K to the City of South Bay for repairs
  6. 2004Hurricane Ivan43 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2004Hurricane Frances449 households applied for aid$539K aid approved$53K to the City of South Bay for repairs
  2. 1999Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req$54K to the City of South Bay for repairs
  3. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$5K to the City of South Bay for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in South BayPalm Beach County only

Palm Beach County has had 29 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Palm Beach County, 1999–1999.

Were you here?

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

Add to the South Bay archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what South Bay 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 South Bay

Is South Bay at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Bay has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #93 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (66%) and river and rain flooding (31%). 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.

Is South Bay 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 Palm Beach County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in South Bay?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for South Bay’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 South Bay?

By FEMA money that reached South Bay, Hurricane Wilma (2005): 742 households applied for aid, $1.5M approved, and $248K to the City of South Bay for repairs.

Is South Bay at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and South Bay’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Bay.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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