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Albert Carlton EstateAlbert Carlton Estate · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 2.5
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Wauchula · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Wauchula than in 96% of U.S. towns, led by strong wind

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wauchula gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #603 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is strong wind (44%), then hurricanes (39%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 2004.

Strong wind 44%Hurricanes 39%River and rain flooding 14%

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 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#603 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
D−#603 of 638
in Florida · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Strong wind
44% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 2004 · $529K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
9
of 24 declared for Hardee County
By hazard

What Wauchula faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Strong wind

44%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

39%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

14%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Cold waves top 0% Lightning Hail Earthquakes Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter 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 Wauchula’s grade

Strong wind is 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wauchula, and Wauchula’s rate of strong wind damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 39%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Wauchula sits
Wauchula
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #603 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Wauchula’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Strong wind44%Hurricanes39%River and rain flooding14%Everything else3%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Wauchula has more expected damage per building than 95% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Wauchula: $3.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Ian in 2022, FEMA took 2,428 aid registrations from Wauchula addresses (the town has 1,881 homes) and flood insurance paid 6 claims for $310K.
A small-area figure. Wauchula covers 3 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 Wauchula flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wauchula, from FEMA’s records: 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 6 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420172022
20042026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ian6 claims · $310K
  • Hurricane Irma2 claims · $198K
  • Hurricane Milton1 claim · $5K
11
paid claims since 2004
$529K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$48K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hardee County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7buildings retrofitted against wind
2buildings floodproofed
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wauchula

Disasters that paid out in Wauchula itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Wauchula), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton1,378 households applied for aid$985K aid approved$244K to the City of Wauchula for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
  2. 2022Hurricane Ian2,428 households applied for aid$5.1M aid approved$791K to the City of Wauchula for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $310K
  3. 2017Hurricane Irma2,302 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$507K to the City of Wauchula for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $198K
  4. 2008Tropical Storm Fay$21K to the City of Wauchula for repairs
  5. 2005Hurricane Wilma$9K to the City of Wauchula for repairs
  6. 2004Hurricane Jeanne661 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved$6K to the City of Wauchula for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2004Hurricane Frances481 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$11K to the City of Wauchula for repairs
  2. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley3,332 households applied for aid$6.0M aid approved$2.8M to the City of Wauchula for repairs
  3. 2001Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding Associated with Tropical Storm Gabrielle$36K to the City of Wauchula for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WauchulaHardee County only

Hardee County has had 24 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Hardee County, 1999–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Wauchula archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Wauchula faces

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

High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Wauchula

Is Wauchula at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wauchula has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #603 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is strong wind (44%) and hurricanes (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Wauchula flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Wauchula since 2004, $529K in all, or 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ian (6).

Is Wauchula 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 Hardee County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Wauchula?

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

By FEMA money that reached Wauchula, Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley (2004): 3,332 households applied for aid, $6.0M approved, and $2.8M to the City of Wauchula for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ian: 6 paid, $310K.

Is Wauchula at risk from strong wind?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Wauchula’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wauchula.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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