Storms, floods and disasters in Palermo
Palermo isn’t graded for hazard risk: Palermo is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 333 claims here since 1980.
What Palermo 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
Coastal flooding
Strong wind
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.
Does Palermo flood? Yes: 333 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Palermo, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy151 claims · $6.0M
- The December Storm - nor’easter19 claims · $221K
- The Winter Storm Jonas16 claims · $605K
Palermo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cape May County.The storms Palermo remembers
None of the 26 disasters declared for Cape May County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Palermo itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2012151 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sandy, declared for Cape May County
- 198435 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms and Flooding, declared for Cape May County
- 199229 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storm, High Tides, Heavy Rain, and Flooding, declared for Cape May County
Cape May County has had 26 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; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Palermo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Palermo archive →Palermo and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Palermo 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Palermo
Does Palermo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 333 claims in Palermo since 1980, $8.2M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (151).
Is Palermo 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 Cape May County, 74% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 40.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Palermo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Palermo’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 Palermo?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 151 paid, $6.0M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Palermo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Palermo’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.