1,554 flood insurance claims·$33.3M paid·19 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 Wakulla 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.
Wakulla County faces a primary flood risk driven by tropical storms, storm surges, and flash flooding. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 33 tropical storms, 17 storm surge or tide events, 16 flash flood events, and 11 hurricanes resulting in two deaths. Recent historical events illustrate these hazards, including a major flash flood event between April 10 and April 11, 2024, which brought 6 to 10 inches of rain with localized higher amounts. Additionally, Hurricane Helene on September 26, 2024, made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in neighboring Taylor County and produced a storm surge exceeding 15 feet along the coast of Apalachee Bay.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data demonstrates that risk is heavily concentrated in specific zones. Zone V experienced the highest impact with 910 claims averaging a $29,360 payout and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Zone A recorded 597 claims averaging a $21,887 payout with an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone D saw 20 claims averaging $37,059 with an average depth of 5 inches. Zone X Unshaded recorded 11 claims averaging $9,915 with an average recorded water depth of 54 inches, while Zone X logged 8 claims averaging $20,980 with an average depth of 9 inches. Coastal property owners and residents in Zones V and A should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
1% of Wakulla County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,525 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 8 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 2005, with 477 claims and $15.2M paid, the year of Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Katrina Evacuation.
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.
53 NOAA storm reports from Wakulla County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Florida flood stories →
45 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 19 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 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | May 10, 2024 |
| Hurricane Idalia | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Tropical Storm Idalia | Aug 27, 2023 |
| Hurricane Nicole | Nov 7, 2022 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
83 since 1996: 16 flash floods, 4 river or area floods and 19 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 9, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 5, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 30, 2023 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Aug 30, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Hurricane (Typhoon) · 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…
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…
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 · Apr 11, 2024. A major flash flood event occurred across portions of the Florida big bend and southern Georgia during the late night hours of April 10th through the early morning hours of April 11th. Between 6 and 10 inches of rain fell with localized higher amounts, particularly over Tallahassee. This resulted in rapid water rises across Tallahassee with numerous cars and structures flooded. Several million dollars in flood…
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 Wakulla 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.