Natural disaster risk in Hardee County, Florida
Florida · population 25,302 · FIPS 12049
Overall: relatively low risk
Hardee County has a composite risk score of 69.2 out of 100 — higher than 69% of US counties. It ranks 47 of 67 in Florida (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, hurricane, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 45 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 44.23% of Hardee County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 45 weeks in a row. In all, 91.8% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Hardee 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 69.2 |
| Expected annual loss About $25.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 68.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 48 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 4.4 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Hardee County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Very high 99 |
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 82 |
| Drought | Relatively low 62 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 58 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 42 |
| Heat wave | Very low 34 |
| Hail | Very low 31 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 26 |
| Earthquake | Very low 11 |
| Landslide | Very low 6 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | No rating |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
| Winter weather | No rating |
FEMA disaster declarations for Hardee County
Federal declarations that designated Hardee County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Hardee County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4834-FL (Hurricane Milton), declared 11 Oct 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4834-FL | Major disaster | Hurricane Milton | 11 Oct 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3622-FL | Emergency | Hurricane Milton | 7 Oct 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 Hardee County, Florida?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Hardee County as relatively low, with a score of 69.2 out of 100 (higher than 69% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Hardee County?
The hazards rated highest for Hardee County are strong wind (very high), hurricane (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Hardee County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Hardee County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Hardee County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Hardee County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4834-FL (Hurricane Milton), declared 11 Oct 2024.
Is Hardee County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 44.23% of Hardee County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 45 weeks in a row. In all, 91.8% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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