Photo: Freeholdman12 · CC BY 4.0For strong wind, Winter Garden’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winter Garden gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #36 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then hurricanes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 2003.
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 Winter Garden 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
Hurricanes
Strong wind
Tornadoes
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 Winter Garden’s grade
River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Winter Garden, and Winter Garden’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 11%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #36 of 638 in Florida; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Winter Garden’s residents live in 13 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Winter Garden has less expected damage per building than 95% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.2M a year in losses across Winter Garden: $10.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Winter Garden flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 2003
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Winter Garden, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The December nor’easter1 claim · $9K
- Hurricane Ian1 claim · $4K
- Hurricane Milton1 claim · $32K
Winter Garden isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Orange County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Winter Garden
Disasters that paid out in Winter Garden itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Winter Garden), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton2,182 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved$798K to the City of Winter Garden for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $32K
- 2022Hurricane Ian2,542 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$693K to the City of Winter Garden for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $4K
- 2017Hurricane Irma4,811 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$1.3M to the City of Winter Garden for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $6K
- 2008Tropical Storm Fay6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne837 households applied for aid$831K aid approved$101K to the City of Winter Garden for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
- 2004Hurricane Ivan13 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Show all 8
- 2004Hurricane Frances462 households applied for aid$488K aid approved$154K to the City of Winter Garden for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley299 households applied for aid$218K aid approved$98K to the City of Winter Garden for repairs
Orange County has had 25 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Orange County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Winter Garden after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Winter Garden archive →Winter Garden and its neighbors
Winter Garden has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Garden | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Horizon West | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lake Butler | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Oakland | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ocoee | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Tildenville | — | 183 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Winter Garden faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Winter Garden
Is Winter Garden at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Winter Garden has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #36 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and hurricanes (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Winter Garden flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Winter Garden since 2003, $185K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from December Nor'easter (1).
Is Winter Garden 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 Orange County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Winter Garden?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Winter Garden’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 Winter Garden?
By FEMA money that reached Winter Garden, Hurricane Irma (2017): 4,811 households applied for aid, $1.3M approved, and $1.3M to the City of Winter Garden for repairs. By flood claims, December Nor'easter: 1 paid, $9K.
Is Winter Garden at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Winter Garden’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Winter Garden.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Winter Garden’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.