On FEMA’s figures, Woodlawn Beach faces more hazard damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodlawn Beach gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #431 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (77%), then river and rain flooding (16%). Flood insurance has paid 48 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 Woodlawn Beach 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 Woodlawn Beach’s grade
Hurricanes are 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodlawn Beach, and Woodlawn Beach’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #431 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Woodlawn Beach’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, Woodlawn Beach has more expected damage per building than 68% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Woodlawn Beach: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodlawn Beach flood? Sometimes: 48 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Woodlawn Beach, from FEMA’s records: 39.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sally24 claims · $240K
- Hurricane Ivan15 claims · $1.9M
- Hurricane Opal2 claims · $7K
Woodlawn 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: Santa Rosa County.The storms Woodlawn Beach remembers
None of the 34 disasters declared for Santa Rosa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Woodlawn Beach itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 202024 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sally, declared for Santa Rosa County
- 200415 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Ivan, declared for Santa Rosa County
- 20053 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Katrina, declared for Santa Rosa County
Santa Rosa County has had 34 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Rosa County, 2020–2020.
Old photos of Woodlawn Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodlawn Beach archive →Woodlawn Beach and its neighbors
Woodlawn Beach has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodlawn Beach | Dmore damage than 89% | hurricanes | 48 |
| Midway | Dmore damage than 89% | hurricanes | 1,406 |
| Tiger Point | Dmore damage than 90% | hurricanes | — |
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 Woodlawn 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.
- 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 Woodlawn Beach
Is Woodlawn Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodlawn Beach has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #431 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (77%) 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 Woodlawn Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 48 claims in Woodlawn Beach since 1995, $2.4M in all, or 39.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Sally (24).
Is Woodlawn 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 Santa Rosa County, 67% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 14.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Woodlawn Beach?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodlawn 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 Woodlawn Beach?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sally: 24 paid, $240K.
Is Woodlawn Beach at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Woodlawn Beach’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodlawn Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodlawn 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.