Photo: Livan13 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Tamiami’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tamiami gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #400 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then hurricanes (35%). Flood insurance has paid 1,405 claims here since 1981.
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 Tamiami’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Tamiami 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 Tamiami’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tamiami, and Tamiami’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 35%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D #400 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tamiami’s residents live in 13 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, Tamiami has more expected damage per building than 63% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $16.8M a year in losses across Tamiami: $13.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tamiami flood? Yes: 1,405 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tamiami, from FEMA’s records: 76.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene740 claims · $7.9M
- Hurricane Katrina57 claims · $857K
- Hurricane Irma20 claims · $780K
Tamiami 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Tamiami
Disasters that paid out in Tamiami itself (aid to households or repair grants to Tamiami), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Irma18 households applied for aid$2K aid approved20 flood claims paid for it, $780K
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 Tamiami after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tamiami archive →Tamiami and its neighbors
Tamiami is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetwater | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 215 |
| Tamiami | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 1,405 |
| Kendale Lakes | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 831 |
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 Tamiami 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 Tamiami
Is Tamiami at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tamiami has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #400 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and hurricanes (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Tamiami flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,405 claims in Tamiami since 1981, $17.0M in all, or 76.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (740).
Is Tamiami 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 Tamiami?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tamiami’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 Tamiami?
By FEMA money that reached Tamiami, Hurricane Irma (2017): 18 households applied for aid, $2K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 740 paid, $7.9M.
Is Tamiami at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Tamiami’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tamiami.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tamiami’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.