Photo: Skye Marthaler · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Valparaiso than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Valparaiso gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #460 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (79%), then river and rain flooding (16%). Flood insurance has paid 67 claims here since 1995.
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 Valparaiso 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 Valparaiso’s grade
Hurricanes are 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Valparaiso, and Valparaiso’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 16% (lower than 88% of U.S. census tracts).
D #460 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Valparaiso’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, Valparaiso has more expected damage per building than 72% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Valparaiso: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Valparaiso flood? Sometimes: 67 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Valparaiso, from FEMA’s records: 32.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Opal43 claims · $1.0M
- Hurricane Ivan19 claims · $222K
- The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $16K
Valparaiso isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Okaloosa County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Valparaiso
Disasters that paid out in Valparaiso itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Valparaiso), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Irma2 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$33K to the City of Valparaiso for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Hurricane Dennis90 households applied for aid$34K aid approved$32K to the City of Valparaiso for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Ivan262 households applied for aid$150K aid approved$392K to the City of Valparaiso for repairs19 flood claims paid for it, $222K
Okaloosa 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.
Old photos of Valparaiso after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Valparaiso archive →Valparaiso and its neighbors
Valparaiso 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valparaiso | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | 67 |
| Niceville | Dmore damage than 91% | hurricanes | 67 |
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 Valparaiso 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 Valparaiso
Is Valparaiso at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Valparaiso has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #460 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (79%) and river and rain flooding (16%). 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.
Does Valparaiso flood?
Flood insurance has paid 67 claims in Valparaiso since 1995, $1.3M in all, or 32.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Opal (43).
Is Valparaiso 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 Okaloosa County, 74% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 10.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Valparaiso?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Valparaiso’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 Valparaiso?
By FEMA money that reached Valparaiso, Hurricane Ivan (2004): 262 households applied for aid, $150K approved, and $392K to the City of Valparaiso for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Opal: 43 paid, $1.0M.
Is Valparaiso at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Valparaiso’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Valparaiso.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Valparaiso’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.