Photo: Schwerdf · CC BY 4.0For coastal flooding, St. Augustine’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Augustine gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #28 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (36%), then hurricanes (31%). Flood insurance has paid 2,333 claims here since 1981.
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 St. Augustine’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What St. Augustine faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
Tornadoes
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 St. Augustine’s grade
River and rain flooding is 36% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Augustine, and St. Augustine’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 26%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #28 of 638 in Florida; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
St. Augustine’s residents live in 8 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, St. Augustine has less expected damage per building than 96% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.1M a year in losses across St. Augustine: $4.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. Augustine flood? Yes: 2,333 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Augustine, from FEMA’s records: 267.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Matthew1,109 claims · $62.2M
- Hurricane Irma594 claims · $23.5M
- Hurricane Ian308 claims · $15.2M
St. Augustine is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 4) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: St. Johns County.13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. Augustine
Disasters that paid out in St. Augustine itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of St. Augustine), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton1,232 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$4.0M to the City of St. Augustine for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2022Hurricane Nicole406 households applied for aid$320K aid approved$2.4M to the City of St. Augustine for repairs134 flood claims paid for it, $2.6M
- 2022Hurricane Ian3,269 households applied for aid$2.0M aid approved$2.4M to the City of St. Augustine for repairs308 flood claims paid for it, $15.2M
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$296K to the City of St. Augustine for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Irma8,500 households applied for aid$4.1M aid approved$4.6M to the City of St. Augustine for repairs594 flood claims paid for it, $23.5M
- 2016Hurricane Matthew4,469 households applied for aid$8.3M aid approved$12.1M to the City of St. Augustine for repairs1,109 flood claims paid for it, $62.2M
Show all 13
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay$91K to the City of St. Augustine for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne991 households applied for aid$933K aid approved$35K to the City of St. Augustine for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Ivan60 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances2,459 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved$367K to the City of St. Augustine for repairs
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley198 households applied for aid$131K aid approved$21K to the City of St. Augustine for repairs
- 2001Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding Associated with Tropical Storm Gabrielle$181K to the City of St. Augustine for repairs14 flood claims paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$491K to the City of St. Augustine for repairs30 flood claims paid for it, $205K
St. Johns County has had 22 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.
Old photos of St. Augustine after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. Augustine archive →St. Augustine and its neighbors
St. Augustine is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Augustine South | A−less damage than 75% | hurricanes | 53 |
| St. Augustine Beach | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 161 |
| St. Augustine | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 2,333 |
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 St. Augustine faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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.
- St. Augustine residents get 30% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in St. Augustine
Is St. Augustine at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Augustine has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #28 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (36%) and hurricanes (31%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does St. Augustine flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2,333 claims in St. Augustine since 1981, $106M in all, or 267.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 577 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (1,109).
Is St. Augustine 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 St. Johns County, 23.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in St. Augustine?
St. Augustine is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 4), which takes 30% 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 St. Augustine?
By FEMA money that reached St. Augustine, Hurricane Matthew (2016): 4,469 households applied for aid, $8.3M approved, and $12.1M to the City of St. Augustine for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 1,109 paid, $62.2M.
Is St. Augustine at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (36%), and St. Augustine’s rate for it is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Augustine.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Augustine’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.