Lewis-Thornburg Farm · Photo: James Conder · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Denton’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Denton gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (11%). 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 Denton 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
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 Denton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Denton, and Denton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Denton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $566K a year in losses across Denton: $449K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Denton flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Denton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Denton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Davidson County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Denton
Disasters that paid out in Denton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Denton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Hurricane Florence$25K to the Town of Denton for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Isabel1 households applied for aid$740 aid approved
- 2002Severe Ice Storm$6K to the Town of Denton for repairs
- 2000Severe Winter Storm$4K to the Town of Denton for repairs
Davidson County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Denton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Denton archive →Get ready for what Denton 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.
- 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 Denton
Is Denton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Denton has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (11%). 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 Denton 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 Davidson County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Denton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Denton’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 Denton?
By FEMA money that reached Denton, Hurricane Florence (2018): $25K to the Town of Denton for repairs.
Is Denton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Denton’s rate for it is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Denton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Denton’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.