Less hazard damage per building is expected in South Highpoint than in 60% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Highpoint gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #14 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (57%), then river and rain flooding (35%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What South Highpoint 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.
What’s behind South Highpoint’s grade
Hurricanes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Highpoint, and South Highpoint’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 35% (lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts).
B #14 of 638 in Florida; lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
South Highpoint’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, South Highpoint has less expected damage per building than 98% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across South Highpoint: $822K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does South Highpoint flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in South Highpoint. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
South Highpoint isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pinellas County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to South Highpoint
Disasters that paid out in South Highpoint itself (aid to households or repair grants to South Highpoint), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Irma5 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
Pinellas 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinellas County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of South Highpoint after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the South Highpoint archive →South Highpoint and its neighbors
South Highpoint has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Highpoint | Bless damage than 60% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Largo | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 645 |
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 South Highpoint 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 South Highpoint
Is South Highpoint at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Highpoint has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #14 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (57%) and river and rain flooding (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is South Highpoint 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 Pinellas County, 19.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in South Highpoint?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for South Highpoint’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 Highpoint?
By FEMA money that reached South Highpoint, Hurricane Irma (2017): 5 households applied for aid, $500 approved.
Is South Highpoint at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and South Highpoint’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Highpoint.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where South Highpoint’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.