Photo: Niceley · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Tyler than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tyler gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Tyler faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Tyler’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tyler, and Tyler’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Tyler’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Tyler: $747K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tyler flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Tyler. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Tyler isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lincoln County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tyler
Disasters that paid out in Tyler itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Tyler), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$73K to the City of Tyler for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$303K to the City of Tyler for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$6K to the City of Tyler for repairs
Lincoln County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Tyler after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tyler archive →Tyler and its neighbors
Tyler has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Hope Township | — | 170 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Marshfield Township | — | 242 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Tyler faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Tyler
Is Tyler at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tyler has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (10%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Tyler in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Lincoln County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Tyler?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tyler’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Tyler?
By FEMA money that reached Tyler, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2011): $303K to the City of Tyler for repairs.
Is Tyler at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Tyler’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tyler.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tyler’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.