Blandford · Photo: Mikasb · CC BY-SA 4.0For strong wind, Tangerine’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tangerine gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #64 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then hurricanes (23%). 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 Tangerine 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 Tangerine’s grade
River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tangerine, and Tangerine’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 10%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #64 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tangerine’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, Tangerine has less expected damage per building than 90% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Tangerine: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tangerine flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Tangerine. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Tangerine 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tangerine
Disasters that paid out in Tangerine itself (aid to households or repair grants to Tangerine), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton19 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2022Hurricane Ian16 households applied for aid$41K aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma53 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne26 households applied for aid$29K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Frances15 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley7 households applied for aid$5K 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 Tangerine after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tangerine archive →Tangerine and its neighbors
Tangerine 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tangerine | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Zellwood | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Tangerine 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 Tangerine
Is Tangerine at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tangerine has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #64 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and hurricanes (23%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Tangerine 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 Tangerine?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tangerine’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 Tangerine?
By FEMA money that reached Tangerine, Hurricane Ian (2022): 16 households applied for aid, $41K approved.
Is Tangerine at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Tangerine’s rate for it is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tangerine.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tangerine’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.