Photo: JonathanPuello · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Stuart than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stuart gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #520 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (87%). Flood insurance has paid 86 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 Stuart’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Stuart 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 Stuart’s grade
Hurricanes are 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Stuart, and Stuart’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 10% (lower than 95% of U.S. census tracts).
D #520 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Stuart’s residents live in 11 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, Stuart has more expected damage per building than 81% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.6M a year in losses across Stuart: $13.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Stuart flood? Sometimes: 86 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Stuart, from FEMA’s records: 8.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Jeanne19 claims · $362K
- Hurricane Frances12 claims · $540K
- Tropical Storm Fay3 claims · $16K
Stuart isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Martin County.12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Stuart
Disasters that paid out in Stuart itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Stuart), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton1,878 households applied for aid$1.6M aid approved
- 2019Hurricane Dorian$56K to the City of Stuart for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Irma3,866 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$464K to the City of Stuart for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $123K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew$279K to the City of Stuart for repairs
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay86 households applied for aid$41K aid approved$3K to the City of Stuart for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $16K
- 2005Hurricane Wilma2,531 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved$1.0M to the City of Stuart for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 12
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne7,053 households applied for aid$8.4M aid approved$1.7M to the City of Stuart for repairs19 flood claims paid for it, $362K
- 2004Hurricane Ivan101 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances7,702 households applied for aid$6.9M aid approved$1.6M to the City of Stuart for repairs12 flood claims paid for it, $540K
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley$5K to the City of Stuart for repairs
- 1999Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req$53K to the City of Stuart for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $4K
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$41K to the City of Stuart for repairs
Martin County has had 27 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Martin County, 1999–2009.
Old photos of Stuart after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Stuart archive →Stuart and its neighbors
Stuart has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart | Dmore damage than 93% | hurricanes | 86 |
| Rio | Dmore damage than 94% | hurricanes | — |
| North River Shores | Dmore damage than 94% | hurricanes | 49 |
| Jensen Beach | Dmore damage than 94% | hurricanes | 101 |
| Palm City | Dmore damage than 95% | hurricanes | 304 |
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 Stuart 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 Stuart
Is Stuart at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Stuart has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #520 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (87%) and river and rain flooding (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Stuart flood?
Flood insurance has paid 86 claims in Stuart since 1979, $1.8M in all, or 8.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Jeanne (19).
Is Stuart 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 Martin County, 78% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 14.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Stuart?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Stuart’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 Stuart?
By FEMA money that reached Stuart, Hurricane Jeanne (2004): 7,053 households applied for aid, $8.4M approved, and $1.7M to the City of Stuart for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Jeanne: 19 paid, $362K.
Is Stuart at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Stuart’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Stuart.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Stuart’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.