Hurricane and named-storm risk by region
Hurricane exposure is geographic. The Gulf coast and the Southeast Atlantic coast carry the highest FEMA hurricane ratings, and exposure falls as you move inland. A hurricane damages property three ways: wind, storm surge (which appears in coastal V and VE flood zones), and inland freshwater flooding that can reach far from the coast.
Where hurricane risk concentrates
The highest hurricane ratings sit along the Gulf coast from Texas to Florida and up the Southeast Atlantic coast through the Carolinas. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast see less frequent but real landfalls. The interior West sees effectively none. Plattow's Safe Havens map shows this gradient directly.
The three damage modes
| Mode | Where it shows up |
|---|---|
| Wind | FEMA hurricane and high-wind ratings |
| Storm surge | Coastal V and VE flood zones; the FEMA flood zone captures it |
| Inland flooding | Riverine flood ratings and flood zones far from the coast |
Because surge shows up in the flood zone and wind in the hurricane rating, a complete read combines both, which Plattow returns together.
How FEMA rates it
FEMA's National Risk Index publishes a hurricane rating per location. In Plattow, a Very High hurricane rating can carry a property to the top of the scale, while a Relatively High rating lifts it to Elevated. This is why a coastal property in a minimal flood zone can still read elevated: the wind exposure is real even where surge is not.
How to check a property
Plattow returns the hurricane rating and the flood zone together for any address. See FEMA flood zones for the surge side and methodology for how the two combine.
Related: FEMA flood zones, the master assessment guide. Look up any address on the Safe Havens map or call the data at /api/report.