Photo: Public domain · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, St. George Island faces more hazard damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. George Island gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (62%), then coastal flooding (18%). 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 stands out about St. George Island’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What St. George Island faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
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 St. George Island’s grade
Hurricanes are 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. George Island, and St. George Island’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 18%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of St. George Island’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across St. George Island: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. George Island flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in St. George Island. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
St. George Island isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. George Island
Disasters that paid out in St. George Island itself (aid to households or repair grants to St. George Island), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Helene4 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
- 2018Hurricane Michael71 households applied for aid$94K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Dennis58 households applied for aid$54K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Franklin County has had 36 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. George Island after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. George Island archive →Get ready for what St. George Island 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.
- 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.
- 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 St. George Island
Is St. George Island at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. George Island has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (62%) and coastal flooding (18%). 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 St. George Island 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 Franklin County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 25.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in St. George Island?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. George Island’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 St. George Island?
By FEMA money that reached St. George Island, Hurricane Michael (2018): 71 households applied for aid, $94K approved.
Is St. George Island at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and St. George Island’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. George Island.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. George Island’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.