Photo: CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz, releases all rights but a photo credit would be appreciated if this image is used anywhere other than Wikipedia. Please leave a note at Wikipedia here. Thank you! · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, South Palm Beach faces more hazard damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Palm Beach gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (52%), then river and rain flooding (24%). Flood insurance has paid 31 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about South Palm Beach’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What South Palm Beach 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
Coastal 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 Palm Beach’s grade
Hurricanes are 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in South Palm Beach, and South Palm Beach’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 22%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of South Palm Beach’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $703K a year in losses across South Palm Beach: $638K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does South Palm Beach flood? Sometimes: 31 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in South Palm Beach, from FEMA’s records: 16.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Frances7 claims · $991K
South Palm Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Palm Beach County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to South Palm Beach
Disasters that paid out in South Palm Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of South Palm Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$6K to the Town of South Palm Beach for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma23 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Wilma29 households applied for aid$7K aid approved$49K to the Town of South Palm Beach for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne10 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$11K to the Town of South Palm Beach for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances14 households applied for aid$18K aid approved$17K to the Town of South Palm Beach for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $991K
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Emergency Declarations$6K to the Town of South Palm Beach for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
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.
Old photos of South Palm Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the South Palm Beach archive →South Palm Beach and its neighbors
South Palm Beach is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lantana | Cmore damage than 70% | hurricanes | 88 |
| South Palm Beach | C−more damage than 81% | hurricanes | 31 |
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 Palm Beach 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- South Palm Beach residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in South Palm Beach
Is South Palm Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Palm Beach has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (52%) and river and rain flooding (24%). 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 South Palm Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 31 claims in South Palm Beach since 1979, $1.4M in all, or 16.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Frances (7).
Is South Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach?
South Palm Beach is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. 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 Palm Beach?
By FEMA money that reached South Palm Beach, Hurricane Wilma (2005): 29 households applied for aid, $7K approved, and $49K to the Town of South Palm Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Frances: 7 paid, $991K.
Is South Palm Beach at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and South Palm Beach’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in South Palm Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where South Palm Beach’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.