FEMA puts The Acreage’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Acreage gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #191 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (57%), then river and rain flooding (38%). Flood insurance has paid 28 claims here since 1982.
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 The Acreage 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 The Acreage’s grade
Hurricanes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in The Acreage, and The Acreage’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 38% (lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts).
C #191 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
The Acreage’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, The Acreage has less expected damage per building than 70% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $33.0M a year in losses across The Acreage: $11.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does The Acreage flood? Sometimes: 28 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in The Acreage, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Isaac8 claims · $429K
- Hurricane Frances5 claims · $105K
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $58K
The Acreage isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Palm Beach County.The storms The Acreage remembers
None of the 29 disasters declared for Palm Beach County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching The Acreage itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20128 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Isaac, declared for Palm Beach County
- 20046 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Jeanne, declared for Palm Beach County
- 19995 flood claims paidThe year of Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req, declared for Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County has had 29 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Palm Beach County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of The Acreage after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the The Acreage archive →The Acreage and its neighbors
The Acreage 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westlake | C+more damage than 58% | hurricanes | — |
| Loxahatchee Groves | C+more damage than 65% | hurricanes | 3 |
| Palm Beach Gardens | Cmore damage than 70% | hurricanes | 171 |
| The Acreage | Cmore damage than 71% | hurricanes | 28 |
| Royal Palm Beach | Cmore damage than 72% | hurricanes | 14 |
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 The Acreage 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 The Acreage
Is The Acreage at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Acreage has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #191 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (57%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does The Acreage flood?
Flood insurance has paid 28 claims in The Acreage since 1982, $746K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaac (8).
Is The Acreage 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 Palm Beach County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in The Acreage?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for The Acreage’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 The Acreage?
By flood claims, Hurricane Isaac: 8 paid, $429K.
Is The Acreage at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and The Acreage’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in The Acreage.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where The Acreage’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.