FL

Storm restoration across Union County

Union County is a small, fully inland county in north-central Florida, so it carries no hurricane storm surge risk, but it is directly exposed to inland flooding and tropical wind damage as storms track northward through the Florida peninsula. The Santa Fe River, which forms part of the county's southern boundary, has produced record flood levels during major storms - Hurricane Irma (2017) drove the Santa Fe at Worthington Springs to a record gage height of 9.0 meters, inundating properties with depths of 15 to 17 feet in some locations. Tropical Storm Debby (2024) again forced emergency closures of river crossings across Union County as the Suwannee and Santa Fe systems overran their banks. Sustained tropical-force winds from inland-tracking storms also cause widespread tree fall and structural damage across the county's pine and mixed-forest landscape.