On FEMA’s figures, The Meadows faces more hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Meadows gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #453 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (73%), then river and rain flooding (24%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1992.
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 Meadows 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 Meadows’ grade
Hurricanes are 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in The Meadows, and The Meadows’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 24% (lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts).
D #453 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
The Meadows’ residents live in 3 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 Meadows has more expected damage per building than 71% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across The Meadows: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does The Meadows flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in The Meadows, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Debby5 claims · $84K
The Meadows isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sarasota County.The storms The Meadows remembers
None of the 34 disasters declared for Sarasota County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching The Meadows itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20245 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Milton, declared for Sarasota County
- 19921 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Sarasota County
Sarasota County has had 34 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Sarasota County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of The Meadows after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the The Meadows archive →The Meadows and its neighbors
The Meadows has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Meadows | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | 6 |
| Kensington Park | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 13 |
| Fruitville | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 122 |
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 Meadows 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 Meadows
Is The Meadows at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Meadows has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #453 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (73%) and river and rain flooding (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does The Meadows flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in The Meadows since 1992, $86K in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (5).
Is The Meadows 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 Sarasota County, 42% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 18.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in The Meadows?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for The Meadows’ 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 Meadows?
By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 5 paid, $84K.
Is The Meadows at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and The Meadows’ rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in The Meadows.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where The Meadows’ 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.