Find out what your flood zone is. Knowing whether you are at a higher or lower risk of flooding will help you determine how to plan for future disasters.
You can look up your flood zone at:
Everyone knows that certain bodies of water within or near the City of Port St. Lucie have the potential for flooding, such as the Atlantic Ocean bordering to our east, the St. Lucie River and the many canals emptying into it, and the one you can't see... flooding from the sky. This means that anywhere in St. Lucie County has the potential to flood due to flash flooding, areal flooding, or just from having days of rain in a row (which is common in a tropical climate as we have in Florida). All of Florida is prone to areal flooding. Protect your property by knowing your hazards. Knowing your flood hazards is only the first step, then you have to make a plan and work to mitigate against those hazards.
The Unified Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group (consisting of St. Lucie County, the cities of Port St. Lucie, Ft. Pierce, and St. Lucie Village, and multiple agencies and non-profits countywide) produces a Local Mitigation Strategy document every 5 years which outlines the various hazards we face within St. Lucie County. It discusses how often they are expected to occur, the historical occurrences of each hazard, the probability/likelihood of those hazards occurring again, and how often. You can view the 2021 version of the Local Mitigation Strategy for more information and discussion regarding the hazards we face.
Is your home located in a repetitive loss area?
Repetitive loss properties are defined as having more than one flood insurance claim in a rolling 10-year period. Are you in a repetitive loss area? Contact the Public Works Department at 772-873-5100 to get assistance and recommendations regarding retrofitting and flood control techniques. They can also schedule a site visit to assist you in mitigating flooding issues. Repetitive loss areas within the city include areas bordering the St. Lucie River, as well as areas of the city located just west of I-95 from roughly Becker Road to Tradition.
Did you know that homeowner's and renter's insurance does NOT cover flood damages?
To get flood protection, you must buy flood insurance.
The City of Port St. Lucie participates in the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System as a Class 5, which means all properties in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) receive a 25% discount on their flood insurance policy, and other properties receive a discount of 10% as of April 1, 2023. If you live outside of the SFHA, you can obtain flood insurance at a low premium, or you can contact an insurance agent for more information.
Protect the life you've built with flood insurance, contact your local insurance agent, or visit www.floodsmart.gov to purchase flood insurance. Every property is vulnerable to flooding, don't wait till it is too late, flood insurance policies have a 30-day waiting period before they go into effect.
Video: How you can save on flood insurance
Flood tips for you and your family
- Review your property and flood insurance policies each year. Just one inch of water can cause $25,000 in damage.
- Take photos of your home and personal property and keep them on your phone, the cloud, or a trusted friend or family member's home. This will be handy if flood waters damage your property to help process your insurance claim.
- Store your critical documents and important papers in a water-tight container, or electronically, and take any medication with you if you evacuate your property.
- Elevate utilities and install sewer backflow valves; this will protect your property in the event of a flood.
- Buy flood insurance today, because it doesn't matter if it is a few inches or a mile high, you will be covered.
Flood safety measures
You can protect yourself from flood hazards by taking measures to ensure the safety of life and property before, during, and after a flood occurs. If evacuation becomes necessary, be sure that you turn off all utility services at the main connection.
Remember the following flood safety measures:
- Never drive or walk through a flooded area - just 6 inches of moving water can sweep you off your feet, and 12 inches can sweep your vehicle away. Drowning is the #1 cause of flood deaths, mostly during flash floods, and more people drown in their cars than anywhere else. Turn around, don't drown!®
- Roadways may also be damaged from moving water and may collapse if driven upon.
- Wear the appropriate clothing and gear like boots, gloves and safety glasses for moving debris. Watch your step, flood waters often hide dangers such as broken glass and metal.
- Stay away from downed power lines and pay attention to gas leaks after a flood. The #2 flood killer after drowning is electrocution, and electricity can travel through water.
- Contact your local gas company to report leaks and report downed power lines to Florida Power & Light (FPL) at 1-800-401-6199.
- Sign up for Alert St. Lucie to get important notifications and flood-related information at stlucieco.gov/alert.
Protect your property from flood hazards
Did you know just one inch of water can cause $25,000 worth of damage to your home?
Flood mitigation is the lessening of the impact of flooding through targeted efforts. You should act now to protect your family and your home investment.
There are many things you can do around your home to better protect it from flooding in the future, like:
- Maintain proper water runoff and drainage. Routinely clean and maintain gutters, downspouts, and splash pads so rainwater from your roof flows easily away from your home. Also, make sure that any nearby drainage ditches or storm drains are clear of debris and functioning properly.
- Improve lot grading. Determine how water flows or accumulates around your home to identify potential trouble spots (often easy to see during an average rainstorm). Stormwater should always drain away from the building; change your landscaping to improve runoff if necessary. This may include building up any sunken areas around the foundation, digging small depressions to properly channel water, and otherwise improving the yard so that it slopes away from your home.
- Reduce impervious surfaces around your home. Water runs off concrete and asphalt almost immediately and can quickly exceed the capacity of storm sewers during heavy rains. Retaining and creating natural green space around your home can help reduce sewer overflows by reducing stormwater runoff. Consider options such as rain gardens, vegetated swales, or pervious pavements, which allow more water to be absorbed by the ground.
- Elevate utilities and service equipment. Raise and anchor air conditioning condensers, heat pumps, water meters and other service equipment onto pedestals or platforms that are at least 1 foot above the potential flood elevation. For identified high-risk zones, this means going to or above the regulatory flood elevation for the property as adopted by the local community. This inexpensive action can help prevent significant damage and disruption following a flood event.
- Anchor outdoor fuel tanks. Attach outdoor fuel tanks to a large concrete slab that weighs enough to resist the force of floodwaters, or install inexpensive ground anchors that are connected across the top of the tank with metal straps. Unanchored fuel tanks can be easily moved and ruptured by floodwaters and pose serious threats to people, property, and the environment. If located in an identified high-risk zone, fuel tanks should also be elevated to or above the regulatory flood elevation as adopted by the local community. If not feasible, then all filling and ventilation tubes should be elevated so that floodwaters cannot enter the tank.
- Find more ways to protect your property.
Contact the City of Port St. Lucie's Public Works Department at 772-871-5100 to get assistance and recommendations regarding retrofitting and flood control techniques. They can also schedule a site visit to assist you in mitigating flooding issues.
When your structure has been damaged or flooded, you may be subject to substantial damage regulations. Contact the City's Building Department at 772-871-5132 after a flood to see if your property is subject to these regulations.
Did you know that it is prohibited to build or move earth in the Special Flood Hazard Area without a permit? If you know someone who is building or excavating without a permit, please contact the Building Department at 772-871-5132 so it can be investigated.
Did you know that hosing down your yard debris into the street can cause a flood later, as well as damage natural habitats?
When you blow your grass clippings, leaves, and tree trimmings and they go down the storm sewer, they either clog the storm drains, resulting in localized flooding the next time there is heavy rain. What doesn't get caught in the storm drains pollutes our floodplains and damages our natural floodplain functions. So be a responsible citizen, sweep or rake up your yard debris, and dispose of it properly.
Only rain is supposed to enter the storm sewers. Any solid items may end up causing a blockage, causing flooding, or damaging our natural floodplain. Don't dump or throw anything into storm sewers, inlets, ditches, or basins. If you see someone dumping debris in these areas, please contact the Public Works Department at 772-871-5100.
Flooding can happen anywhere, even outside the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). Most flooding in Florida occurs outside of the SFHA. This is why protecting the life you've built with flood insurance is important.
Flood Mitigation
Flood mitigation is the lessening of the impact of flooding through targeted efforts. You should act now to protect your family and your home investment.
Have you been flooded?
Are you insured for flooding? If you have a flood insurance policy, you may be able to file a claim for additional funding under Increased Cost of Compliance to elevate your home or implement other mitigation measures. Contact your flood insurance agent today to learn more, or see the brochure below.
Hire only licensed contractors to do work on your home after a flood or other disaster. The link below will give you tips and information to make sure you are hiring someone licensed and not a scammer trying to take your money.
Mitigation Tips
- Bring outdoor furniture inside and anything else that is not tied down to prevent injury/damage from debris.
- Trim trees and shrubs. High winds from a hurricane or tropical storm can turn branches into projectiles during a storm.
- Reduce property damage in the event of a hurricane by retrofitting the roof, windows, and doors of your home.
- You can reduce potential property damage caused by floodwaters. Use flood damage-resistant materials when you build or renovate.
- When constructing a new home or upgrading an existing one, consider elevating the structure to protect against floodwaters or storm surges.
- Part of being prepared is understanding your finances. Does your family have enough savings in case of an emergency?
Water quality is an important part of our floodplain's natural and beneficial function. Floodplains provide groundwater recharge, filter sediment and contaminants, transport nutrients, and support habitats for some of our most sensitive living resources. Floodplains also reduce flooding and limit flood-related damages through floodwater conveyance and storage functions. Businesses and residents can be invaluable participants in the effort to protect our waters.
Do your part to help protect our waterways, report any spills, leaks, or discharges to the Public Works Department at 772-871-5100. Reporting promptly allows contaminants to be contained and avoid further pollution. Doing so preserves our waterways for future generations to enjoy.
Learn more about the benefits of natural floodplains.
Tips for Hurricane Season
- Plan ahead for possible flooding throughout hurricane season. Whether you live in a hurricane-prone area or not, heavy rains or flooding may still affect you. Visit ready.gov/plan to get a plan for you and your family.
- Visit the St Lucie County website www.stlucieco.gov/eoc for a copy of the Disaster Preparedness Guide to find evacuation routes, shelters, and other important information.
- If you are eligible for Special Needs Shelter, go to www.stlucieco.gov/specialneeds to register.
Flood Glossary, Quick Links and Annual Reports
Glossary
Flood Terminology
100-year flood: The flood has a 1% or greater annual probability of occurring.
500-year flood: The flood has a 0.2% or greater annual probability of occurring.
Base Flood: A flood having a 1-percent probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year; also referred to as the 100-year flood.
Base Flood Elevation (BFE): Defined by FEMA as the elevation of the crest of the base or 100-year flood relative to mean sea level. BFE is not the depth of flooding. To determine the depth of flooding, you would need to subtract the lowest elevation of a particular property from the BFE.
Community Number: A 6-digit designation identifying each NFIP community. The first two numbers are the state code. The next four are the FIMA-assigned community number. An alphabetical suffix is added to a community number to identify revisions in the Flood Insurance Rate Map for that community.
Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM): An official map of a community on which the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration has delineated both the Special Flood Hazard Areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community. Most FIRMs include detailed floodplain mapping for some or all of a community's floodplains.
Floodplain: Any land area susceptible to being inundated by floodwaters from any source.
Freeboard: A margin of safety added to the base flood elevation to account for waves, debris, miscalculations, or lack of data.
Panel: Panel number is a numerical designation used to identify the FIRM Map associated with a given area. The first six digits of the Panel number are the community number.
Panel Date: This is the date recorded in the FEMA FMSIS database, which is associated with the given Panel Number.
Repetitive Loss Property: A property for which two or more National Flood Insurance Program losses of at least $1,000 each have been paid within any 10-year period since 1978.
Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA): An area designated as within a "Special Flood Hazard Area" (or SFHA) on a FIRM. This is an area inundated by 1% annual chance flooding for which BFEs or velocity may have been determined. No distinctions are made between the different flood hazard zones that may be included within the SFHA. These may include Zones A, AE, AO, AH, A99, AR, V, or VE.
Annual Reports
Local Mitigation Strategy and Program for Public Information Annual Reports
To keep the public informed on the progress being made in our countywide Local Mitigation Strategy and Program for Public Information, these annual report documents are being made available for your review:
Rainfall Dashboard
This application shows the amount of precipitation and other weather data from different weather stations in Port St. Lucie.
See Rainfall Dashboard