Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Sweetwater faces more hazard damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sweetwater gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #359 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then hurricanes (43%). Flood insurance has paid 215 claims here since 1992.
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 Sweetwater’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Sweetwater 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
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 Sweetwater’s grade
River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sweetwater, and Sweetwater’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 43%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #359 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sweetwater’s residents live in 9 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, Sweetwater has more expected damage per building than 56% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Sweetwater: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sweetwater flood? Yes: 215 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sweetwater, from FEMA’s records: 30.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene40 claims · $1.3M
- Hurricane Irma7 claims · $173K
- Hurricane Katrina6 claims · $58K
Sweetwater isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dade County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sweetwater
Disasters that paid out in Sweetwater itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sweetwater), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Irma117 households applied for aid$42K aid approved$634K to the City of Sweetwater for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $173K
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay$2K to the City of Sweetwater for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Wilma9 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$322K to the City of Sweetwater for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $16K
- 2005Tropical Storm Rita$4K to the City of Sweetwater for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Katrina$174K to the City of Sweetwater for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $58K
- 2004Hurricane Frances$30K to the City of Sweetwater for repairs
Its 2 counties have had 32 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 its 2 counties, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Sweetwater after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sweetwater archive →Sweetwater and its neighbors
Sweetwater is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doral | Cmore damage than 74% | hurricanes | 138 |
| Westchester | Cmore damage than 75% | hurricanes | 133 |
| Fountainebleau | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 180 |
| Sweetwater | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 215 |
| Tamiami | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 1,405 |
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 Sweetwater 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.
- 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 Sweetwater
Is Sweetwater at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sweetwater has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #359 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and hurricanes (43%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sweetwater flood?
Flood insurance has paid 215 claims in Sweetwater since 1992, $6.3M in all, or 30.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 55 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (40).
Is Sweetwater 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 Dade County, 74% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 33.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sweetwater?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sweetwater’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 Sweetwater?
By FEMA money that reached Sweetwater, Hurricane Irma (2017): 117 households applied for aid, $42K approved, and $634K to the City of Sweetwater for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 40 paid, $1.3M.
Is Sweetwater at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Sweetwater’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sweetwater.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sweetwater’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.