Photo: LittleT889 · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Taft’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 76% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Taft gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #1 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (38%), then hurricanes (34%). 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 Taft’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Taft 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
Strong wind
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 Taft’s grade
River and rain flooding is 38% of the building damage FEMA expects in Taft, and Taft’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 13%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #1 of 638 in Florida; lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Taft’s residents live in 2 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, Taft has less expected damage per building than 100% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $989K a year in losses across Taft: $855K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Taft flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Taft. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Taft isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Orange County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Taft
Disasters that paid out in Taft itself (aid to households or repair grants to Taft), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Irma1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Orange County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Orange County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Taft after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Taft archive →Taft and its neighbors
Taft has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taft | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Orlando | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 312 |
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 Taft 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Taft
Is Taft at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Taft has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #1 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (38%) and hurricanes (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Taft 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 Orange County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Taft?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Taft’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 Taft?
By FEMA money that reached Taft, Hurricane Irma (2017): 1 households applied for aid, $3K approved.
Is Taft at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (38%), and Taft’s rate for it is lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Taft.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Taft’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.