1,717 flood insurance claims·$93.9M paid·22 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Gulf County, Florida. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Hurricane storm surge and tropical systems dominate the flood risk profile of Gulf County, FL, supported by 30 tropical storm events, 14 storm surge events, and 7 hurricane events recorded over the last 30 years. Storm surge and hurricane impacts are demonstrated by events such as Hurricane Helene in September 2024, which produced devastating storm surge exceeding 15 feet above normal along the coast of Apalachee Bay following a Category 4 landfall. Flash flooding is also a significant hazard, with 18 recorded events, highlighted by major flash flooding in April 2024 that brought 6 to 10 inches of rain with localized higher amounts, rapid water rises, and millions of dollars in damage.
Federal flood insurance claims data shows impacts across multiple zones, led by Zone A with 1,040 claims averaging a $65,441 payout and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X recorded 284 claims with an average payout of $70,631 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches, while Zone V recorded 229 claims with an average payout of $40,108 and an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED saw 114 claims averaging $59,717 with an average depth of 7 inches, and Zone X_SHADED registered 49 claims averaging $19,746 with an average depth of 2 inches.
Coastal property owners, homeowners in Zone V and Zone A, and residents in low-lying areas should pay the closest attention to flood risks given the historical frequency of tropical systems, severe storm surge, and significant claim payouts across these zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
11% of Gulf County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,432 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2018, with 971 claims and $81.8M paid, the year of Hurricane Michael.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
52 NOAA storm reports from Gulf County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Florida flood stories →
47 federal disaster declarations since 1975, 22 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | Sep 23, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Helene | Sep 23, 2024 |
| Hurricane Debby | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Debby | Aug 1, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Tropical Storm Idalia | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Hurricane Nicole | Nov 7, 2022 |
| Hurricane Ian | Sep 23, 2022 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
78 since 1996: 18 flash floods, 6 river or area floods and 17 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Storm Surge/Tide | Sep 26, 2024 | $1.0M |
| Tropical Storm | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 25, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 13, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 12, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Storm Surge/Tide · Sep 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
Tropical Storm · Sep 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
Flash Flood · Sep 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
Flash Flood · Sep 25, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 inches) at about 11:10 PM EDT on Thursday, September 26th, in Taylor County Florida just east of the Aucilla River. Helene quickly moved inland across Taylor and Madison Counties before moving into Lowndes County in South Central Georgia. The hurricane produced a devastat…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Gulf County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.