How often floodwater reaches Palm Beach homes
Plain answers for Palm Beach homes, drawn from the data behind the area's water damage calls.
About 71% of the homes in Palm Beach date from before 1980, against 34% across Palm Beach County.
- Calls answered 24/7
- Written estimate before work starts
- Water removal, drying and repair
Your call, step by step
Call (833) 728-2327
Say what is wet, where the water came from and whether it is still running. The call is answered any hour.
Stop the source
If water is still coming in, you are walked through the shutoff valve or the breaker first.
Inspection and written estimate
The crew checks the water category, measures moisture in walls and floors, photographs the damage and writes the estimate before work starts.
Written for homeowners in the Palm Beach area.
In Palm Beach's ZIP codes, the average building payment on a flood claim was $37,177 over 2016 to 2025, compared with $90,796 across Florida.
What the flood figures say for Palm Beach
In Palm Beach, coastal flooding outweighs inland flooding. FEMA's National Risk Index puts yearly coastal flood loss at $46 per $100,000 of building value. The county figure is 3 and Florida's is 5. Inland flood loss is $43 and hurricane loss $93 on the same scale.
FEMA flood insurance records show 6.7 claims per 1,000 homes from 2016 to 2025, above the county's 1.6 but well below the state's 19.8. The average building payment was $37,177. NOAA's climate normals count 17 days a year with an inch of rain or more. County storm reports note flooding on 42 days from 2016 to 2025. There have been 14 major disaster declarations for floods and storms in the county since 2000.
Water that comes in from outside, whether surge or street flooding, is Category 3. It carries salt, sand and sewage, so the restoration crew removes the drywall, insulation and flooring it reached. In FEMA's records, 13.0% of county homes have federal flood insurance. With 43% of homes kept for seasonal use, storm water can sit unseen for days. Call your insurance company to ask what your policy covers, and keep the crew's photos and moisture readings for the insurer.
FEMA and NOAA figures for Palm Beach
Palm Beach figures: about 9,234 residents in the city, by the Census.
By FEMA's estimate, tidal and storm-surge flooding costs homes and businesses in Palm Beach's ZIP codes about $46 a year per $100,000 of building value.
FEMA's National Risk Index expects inland flooding to cost about $43 a year for every $100,000 of building value in Palm Beach's ZIP codes.
43% of homes in Palm Beach are second or seasonal homes, against 10% across Palm Beach County. A leak in a house nobody is staying in can go unnoticed, so a neighbor's check now and then helps.
- 71% Homes built before 1980Palm Beach County: 34%
- 46 Yearly coastal flood loss per $100,000 of building valuePalm Beach County: 3
- 43 Yearly inland flood loss per $100,000 of building valuePalm Beach County: 63
- 43% Homes kept for seasonal or occasional usePalm Beach County: 10%
- 67% Homes in buildings with 5 or more unitsPalm Beach County: 31%
- 10,450 Housing units
- 9,234 Residents
- 16% Homes built before 1950Palm Beach County: 3%
- 17% Homes that are rentedPalm Beach County: 30%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-year estimates; FEMA OpenFEMA, FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, claims from 2016 to 2025 (not endorsed by FEMA); FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Residential Penetration Rates v1 (not endorsed by FEMA); FEMA National Risk Index v1.20, December 2025 (not endorsed by FEMA); NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, nearest weather station; FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 (not endorsed by FEMA); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2016 to 2025.
Getting ready in Palm Beach
Census figures show 43% of Palm Beach homes are kept for seasonal or occasional use, so storm prep often has to happen before the owner leaves town. Shut off the main water valve when the house will sit empty, and arrange for someone to walk through after heavy rain or a named storm. A leak that sits unseen for weeks soaks drywall, cabinets and subfloors.
In the 67% of homes that sit in buildings with 5 or more units, ask the association when roof drains and downspouts were last cleared, and whether downspouts carry water away from the foundation. Estate owners should check that yard grading falls away from the walls. If the building has a sump or drainage pump, it needs a test and a battery or generator backup. Clear any window wells or light wells of sand and leaves, and move art, papers and electronics off ground-floor floors.
Check your address on the FEMA flood map, since the agency's National Risk Index puts yearly coastal flood loss here at $46 per $100,000 of building value, against 3 for the county. Before hurricane season, call your insurance company to ask what your policy covers.
When water does get in, cut power to wet rooms and photograph each room. A leak in an upper unit often needs water-stained ceiling repair in the unit below, so tell the association quickly. Owners with a second residence can ask about water removal in North Palm Beach when they call. In humid air, water mitigation should start within 24 to 48 hours.
Records to keep before a flood
A few records make the days after a flood easier. Know your flood zone from the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Keep a video walk-through of the house, room by room, stored online. Write down where the main water valve and the breaker panel are. Raise anything valuable off the basement floor, and keep sandbags or water barriers only where water actually enters. After a flood, photograph the water line on the walls before cleanup begins. Hardwood or laminate soaked by floodwater usually needs floor repair after water damage once it is dry.
Flood questions in Palm Beach
What does a FEMA flood risk rating mean for my Palm Beach home?
How do I keep storm water out of a Palm Beach basement?
Is flood cleanup different from other water damage?
What should I do after floodwater gets into my Palm Beach home?
Where can I check the flood zone for a Palm Beach address?
More Palm Beach guides
water damage cost guide for Palm Beach
Price ranges, cost drivers and estimate checks for Palm Beach homes.
guide to the first hour after water damage for Palm Beach
The first hour after a leak or flood in Palm Beach: what to shut off, what to photograph and what to move.
guide to burst and frozen pipes around Palm Beach
Why pipes burst in Palm Beach homes, what freezing nights and older plumbing mean, and what to do first.
One call for water damage in Palm Beach
Calls answered 24/7. The estimate is in writing before work begins.