Photo: Ven-Lib · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in The Crossings than in 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Crossings gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #427 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then hurricanes (32%). Flood insurance has paid 404 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 The Crossings’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What The Crossings 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 The Crossings’ grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in The Crossings, and The Crossings’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 32%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D #427 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
The Crossings’ residents live in 5 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 Crossings has more expected damage per building than 67% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.4M a year in losses across The Crossings: $7.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does The Crossings flood? Yes: 404 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in The Crossings, from FEMA’s records: 47.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene172 claims · $1.6M
- Hurricane Katrina38 claims · $1.2M
- Hurricane Irma13 claims · $368K
The Crossings 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.The storms The Crossings remembers
None of the 32 disasters declared for its 2 counties shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching The Crossings itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 1999175 flood claims paidThe year of Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req, declared for its 2 counties
- 2000118 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Freeze, declared for its 2 counties
- 200542 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Wilma, declared for its 2 counties
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 The Crossings after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the The Crossings archive →The Crossings and its neighbors
The Crossings is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kendall | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 891 |
| Three Lakes | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| The Hammocks | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 555 |
| Kendale Lakes | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 831 |
| The Crossings | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 404 |
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 Crossings 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 The Crossings
Is The Crossings at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Crossings has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #427 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and hurricanes (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does The Crossings flood?
Flood insurance has paid 404 claims in The Crossings since 1981, $5.3M in all, or 47.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (172).
Is The Crossings 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 The Crossings?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for The Crossings’ 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 Crossings?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 172 paid, $1.6M.
Is The Crossings at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and The Crossings’ rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in The Crossings.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where The Crossings’ 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.