Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Alamo’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alamo gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (69%), then river and rain flooding (18%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1998.
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 Alamo faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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 Alamo’s grade
Earthquakes are 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alamo, and Alamo’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 8%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Alamo’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Alamo: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Alamo flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Alamo, from FEMA’s records: 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Late spring storms1 claim · $75K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $88K
Alamo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Crockett County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alamo
Disasters that paid out in Alamo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Alamo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Associated Flooding8 households applied for aid$12K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes30 households applied for aid$31K aid approved$12K to the Town of Alamo for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2002Severe Storms and Tornados1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 1999Severe Storms, Tornadoes and High Winds$7K to the Town of Alamo for repairs
Crockett County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Alamo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Alamo archive →Get ready for what Alamo faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Alamo
Is Alamo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alamo has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (69%) and river and rain flooding (18%). 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.
Does Alamo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Alamo since 1998, $324K in all, or 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Late spring storms (1).
Is Alamo 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 Crockett County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Alamo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alamo’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 Alamo?
By FEMA money that reached Alamo, Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2010): 30 households applied for aid, $31K approved, and $12K to the Town of Alamo for repairs. By flood claims, Late spring storms: 1 paid, $75K.
Is Alamo at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Alamo’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alamo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alamo’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.