Photo: William “Patrick” Ma… · CC BY-SA 3.0For coastal flooding, Tierra Verde’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tierra Verde gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #61 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (48%), then coastal flooding (25%). 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 Tierra Verde faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
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 Tierra Verde’s grade
Hurricanes are 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tierra Verde, and Tierra Verde’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 25%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #61 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Tierra Verde’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tierra Verde has less expected damage per building than 91% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Tierra Verde: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tierra Verde flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Tierra Verde. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Tierra Verde isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pinellas County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tierra Verde
Disasters that paid out in Tierra Verde itself (aid to households or repair grants to Tierra Verde), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton223 households applied for aid$179K aid approved
- 2024Hurricane Helene160 households applied for aid$382K aid approved
- 2023Hurricane Idalia2 households applied for aid$700 aid approved
- 2022Hurricane Ian10 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Irma141 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne5 households applied for aid$863 aid approved
Show all 7
- 2004Hurricane Frances3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Pinellas County has 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinellas County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Tierra Verde after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tierra Verde archive →Tierra Verde and its neighbors
Tierra Verde 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tierra Verde | C+more damage than 56% | hurricanes | 0 |
| St. Petersburg | C+more damage than 61% | hurricanes | 13,766 |
| St. Pete Beach | C−more damage than 76% | coastal flooding | 3,119 |
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 Tierra Verde 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Tierra Verde
Is Tierra Verde at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tierra Verde has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #61 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (48%) and coastal flooding (25%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Tierra Verde 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 Pinellas County, 19.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Tierra Verde?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tierra Verde’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 Tierra Verde?
By FEMA money that reached Tierra Verde, Hurricane Helene (2024): 160 households applied for aid, $382K approved.
Is Tierra Verde at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Tierra Verde’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tierra Verde.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tierra Verde’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.