Hurricanes are much more than just a coastal problem. If you don’t live in a flood zone, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re safe — extreme rain from hurricanes can bring floods even to areas that aren’t prone to flooding.
Understanding your level of risk is critical to your safety and essential to hurricane preparation. The goal is to create that peace of mind by being fully prepared and always ready to take action when necessary.
It's important to realize that most evacuation orders are due to the water, not the wind. Nearly half of all tropical cyclone-related fatalities are caused by that dangerous rise in coastal waters called storm surge.
In 2005, about 1,500 people died during Hurricane Katrina directly or indirectly as a result of storm surge. When Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys in 2017, it sent a four- to six-foot storm surge to Biscayne Bay more than 100 miles away. In 2023, Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge went as far as 250 miles south of where it made landfall. That’s why understanding these types of water and wind hazards can help you target weak infrastructure in your home and strengthen it to withstand strong winds and heavy rain.
READ MORE: These hurricane flood maps reveal the climate future for Miami, NYC and D.C.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines all of the potential threats that could happen to you. Storm surge, flooding, hurricane-force winds, tornadoes, rip currents and rough surf — all of these can be felt miles inland and wreak havoc.
Gauge your risk levels here.
The bottom line? It doesn’t matter where you live — there is always a risk for flooding. It’s just a question of how big is that risk. These are the five types of flood risks and how they’re labeled on FEMA flood maps:
Low Risk: B & X
Moderate Risk: C & X
High Risk: A
Coastal High Risk: V, VE
The state’s Know Your Zone, Know Your Home campaign helps you identify what areas and buildings are most likely to be evacuated. It’s designed to help us prepare and better understand orders from local officials in addition to securing the insurance protection you need. It’s critical to check your community flood maps as flood risks can change year to year.
Find more details on what each flood zone means here.
Once you have identified the risks, you can refer back to Florida’s Division of Emergency Management website to make an effective evacuation plan. Every year, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management releases a comprehensive guide with the most up-to-date information on how to make an effective evacuation plan, how to protect your home and much more.
Your knowledge of hurricane planning and evacuation zones are extremely important in protecting your life and property from nature’s biggest storms.
Mapping tools
There are a handful of mapping tools that are available to the public. The National Hurricane Center has storm surge hazard maps and NOAA has a Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper. These tools offer various types of maps that lend themselves to much more detailed flood analysis. But they do provide opportunities for community leaders to:
- Show community areas at risk
- Conduct flood hazard exposure analysis
- Inform the hazard exposure information in a grant proposal
- Prioritize areas for resilience efforts
- Engage a contractor for technical work
- Incorporate map layers into customized local exposure maps
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