Storms, floods and disasters in Sylvarena
Sylvarena isn’t graded for hazard risk: Sylvarena has 123 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Sylvarena 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
Hurricanes
Hail
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.
Does Sylvarena flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sylvarena. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Sylvarena isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Smith County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Sylvarena
Disasters that paid out in Sylvarena itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Sylvarena), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Hurricane Katrina1 households applied for aid$762 aid approved
Smith County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Sylvarena after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sylvarena archive →Get ready for what Sylvarena 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Sylvarena
Is Sylvarena 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 Smith County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sylvarena?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sylvarena’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 Sylvarena?
By FEMA money that reached Sylvarena, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 1 households applied for aid, $762 approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sylvarena.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sylvarena’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.