Natural disaster risk in Gulf County, Florida
Florida · population 14,176 · FIPS 12045
Overall: relatively low risk
Gulf County has a composite risk score of 59.5 out of 100 — higher than 59% of US counties. It ranks 50 of 67 in Florida (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, coastal flooding.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Gulf County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 2 weeks in a row.
Drought in Gulf County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 59.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $17.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 55.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 65.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 58.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Gulf County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively high 93 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 61 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 74 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 39 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 38 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 36 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 25 |
| Earthquake | Very low 19 |
| Drought | Very low 13 |
| Landslide | Very low 12 |
| Strong wind | Very low 11 |
| Winter weather | Very low 6 |
| Hail | Very low 3 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Gulf County
Federal declarations that designated Gulf County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Gulf County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3655-FL (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3655-FL | Emergency | Hurricane Isaias | 9 Oct 2026 | No |
| DR-4828-FL | Major disaster | Hurricane Helene | 28 Sep 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3615-FL | Emergency | Tropical Storm Helene | 24 Sep 2024 | No |
| DR-4806-FL | Major disaster | Hurricane Debby | 10 Aug 2024 | No |
| EM-3605-FL | Emergency | Tropical Storm Debby | 3 Aug 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Florida, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Gulf County, Florida?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Gulf County as relatively low, with a score of 59.5 out of 100 (higher than 59% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Gulf County?
The hazards rated highest for Gulf County are hurricane (relatively high), lightning (relatively moderate), coastal flooding (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Gulf County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Gulf County as very low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Gulf County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Gulf County has been named in 5 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3655-FL (Hurricane Isaias), declared 9 Oct 2026.
Is Gulf County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Gulf County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 2 weeks in a row.
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