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Avero HouseAvero House · Photo: Kiran891 · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Vilano Beach · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Vilano Beach than in 76% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vilano Beach gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (42%), then coastal flooding (32%). Flood insurance has paid 187 claims here since 1995.

River and rain flooding 42%Coastal flooding 32%Hurricanes 21%

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

more than 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Florida · higher than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
42% of expected building damage
Flood claims
187
paid since 1995 · $6.3M
Flood claims per home
116 per 1,000
more than 97% of U.S. towns

What stands out about Vilano Beach’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

187 paid flood claims since 1995$6.3M in all. More per home than 97% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 31.5% of the damage it expects.Remembers 2016107 flood claims were paid for 2016 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Vilano Beach 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

42%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

32%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

21%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Vilano Beach’s grade

River and rain flooding is 42% of the building damage FEMA expects in Vilano Beach, and Vilano Beach’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 32%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Vilano Beach sits
Vilano Beach
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Vilano Beach’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding42%Coastal flooding32%Hurricanes21%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Vilano Beach: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Vilano Beach covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Vilano Beach flood? Yes: 187 flood claims since 1995

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Vilano Beach, from FEMA’s records: 116.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1995: 1 claim1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 107 claims2017: 40 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 35 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims201620172022
19952026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Matthew106 claims · $3.6M
  • Hurricane Irma40 claims · $1.1M
  • Hurricane Ian26 claims · $1.3M
187
paid claims since 1995
$6.3M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$33K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Vilano Beach isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: St. Johns County.
Disasters

The storms Vilano Beach remembers

None of the 22 disasters declared for St. Johns County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Vilano Beach itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 2016107 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Matthew, declared for St. Johns County
  2. 201740 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irma, declared for St. Johns County
  3. 202235 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Nicole, declared for St. Johns County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Vilano BeachSt. Johns County only

St. Johns County has had 22 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Vilano Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Vilano Beach archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Vilano Beach faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the tide surges
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Vilano Beach

Is Vilano Beach at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vilano Beach has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (42%) and coastal flooding (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Vilano Beach flood?

Flood insurance has paid 187 claims in Vilano Beach since 1995, $6.3M in all, or 116.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Matthew (106).

Is Vilano Beach 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 St. Johns County, 23.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Vilano Beach?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Vilano Beach’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 Vilano Beach?

By flood claims, Hurricane Matthew: 106 paid, $3.6M.

Is Vilano Beach at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (42%), and Vilano Beach’s rate for it is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vilano Beach.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Vilano Beach’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.