FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Stock Island than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stock Island gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #629 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (68%), then coastal flooding (28%). 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 Stock Island’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Stock 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
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. 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 Stock Island’s grade
Hurricanes are 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Stock Island, and Stock Island’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 28%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #629 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Stock Island’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Stock Island has more expected damage per building than 99% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.7M a year in losses across Stock Island: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Stock Island flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Stock Island. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Stock 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: Monroe County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Stock Island
Disasters that paid out in Stock Island itself (aid to households or repair grants to Stock Island), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Hurricane Ian9 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma95 households applied for aid$97K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Wilma89 households applied for aid$238K aid approved
Monroe County has had 35 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Monroe County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Stock Island after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Stock Island archive →Stock Island and its neighbors
Stock Island 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key West | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 4,086 |
| Stock Island | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 0 |
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 Stock 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.
- 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 Stock Island
Is Stock Island at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stock Island has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #629 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (68%) and coastal flooding (28%). 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 Stock 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 Monroe County, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 58.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Stock Island?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Stock 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 Stock Island?
By FEMA money that reached Stock Island, Hurricane Wilma (2005): 89 households applied for aid, $238K approved.
Is Stock Island at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Stock Island’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Stock Island.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Stock 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.