Photo: Patriarca12 · CC BY 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Alpine than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alpine gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #566 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%), then wildfire (12%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1981.
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 Alpine 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
Wildfire
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 Alpine’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alpine, and Alpine’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 12%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #566 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Alpine’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Alpine has more expected damage per building than 88% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Alpine: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Alpine flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Alpine, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Alpine isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Brewster County.The storms Alpine remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Brewster County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Alpine itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19992 flood claims paidThe year of Extreme Fire Hazards, declared for Brewster County
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Brewster County has had 8 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Brewster County, 2011–2011.
Old photos of Alpine after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Alpine archive →Get ready for what Alpine 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Alpine
Is Alpine at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alpine has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #566 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and wildfire (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Alpine flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Alpine since 1981, $105K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Alpine 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 Brewster County, 2.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Alpine?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alpine’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Alpine at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Alpine’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alpine.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alpine’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.