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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Watergate · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Watergate than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Watergate gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #375 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then hurricanes (48%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1994.

River and rain flooding 50%Hurricanes 48%Tornadoes 1%

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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#375 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C−#375 of 638
in Florida · higher than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
10
paid since 1994 · $281K
Flood claims per home
8 per 1,000
more than 71% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Watergate 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

50%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

48%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Lightning top 2% Strong wind Cold waves top 5% Hail Earthquakes Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWildfireWinter 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 Watergate’s grade

River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Watergate, and Watergate’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 48%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Watergate sits
Watergate
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #375 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Watergate’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding50%Hurricanes48%Everything else2%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Watergate has more expected damage per building than 59% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $586K a year in losses across Watergate: $483K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Watergate’s 3,459 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Watergate flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1994

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Watergate, from FEMA’s records: 8.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1994: 1 claim1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 3 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199920042017
19942026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene3 claims · $5K
  • Hurricane Irma2 claims · $69K
  • Hurricane Wilma1 claim · $12K
10
paid claims since 1994
$281K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$28K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Palm Beach County.
Disasters

The storms Watergate remembers

None of the 29 disasters declared for Palm Beach County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Watergate itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 19993 flood claims paidThe year of Fl-hurricane Irene-dr-req, declared for Palm Beach County
  2. 20042 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Jeanne, declared for Palm Beach County
  3. 20172 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irma, declared for Palm Beach County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WatergatePalm Beach County only

Palm Beach County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Palm Beach County, 1999–1999.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Watergate archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Watergate 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 ↗
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 Watergate

Is Watergate at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Watergate has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #375 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and hurricanes (48%). 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 Watergate flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Watergate since 1994, $281K in all, or 8.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (3).

Is Watergate 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 Palm Beach County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Watergate?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 3 paid, $5K.

Is Watergate at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Watergate’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Watergate.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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