Photo: Djetelina at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Bacliff faces more hazard damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bacliff gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #402 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (48%), then river and rain flooding (45%). Flood insurance has paid 44 claims here since 2001.
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 stands out about Bacliff’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bacliff faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Bacliff’s grade
Hurricanes are 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bacliff, and Bacliff’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #402 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bacliff’s residents live in 5 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, Bacliff has more expected damage per building than 63% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Bacliff: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bacliff flood? Sometimes: 44 flood claims since 2001
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bacliff, from FEMA’s records: 10.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Harvey25 claims · $2.1M
- Hurricane Ike2 claims · $80K
- Hurricane Beryl1 claim · $5K
Bacliff isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Galveston County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bacliff
Disasters that paid out in Bacliff itself (aid to households or repair grants to Bacliff), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Beryl1,688 households applied for aid$1.9M aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
- 2021Severe Winter Storms288 households applied for aid$219K aid approved7 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Harvey1,456 households applied for aid$3.6M aid approved25 flood claims paid for it, $2.1M
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$9K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2008Hurricane Ike1,847 households applied for aid$2.7M aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $80K
- 2005Hurricane Rita1,435 households applied for aid$734K aid approved
Show all 7
- 2003Hurricane Claudette4 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
Galveston County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bacliff after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bacliff archive →Bacliff and its neighbors
Bacliff is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas City | B−less damage than 53% | hurricanes | 2,751 |
| Bacliff | C+more damage than 60% | hurricanes | 44 |
| Kemah | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 1,167 |
| League City | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 4,320 |
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 Bacliff faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Bacliff
Is Bacliff at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bacliff has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #402 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (48%) and river and rain flooding (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bacliff flood?
Flood insurance has paid 44 claims in Bacliff since 2001, $2.5M in all, or 10.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Harvey (25).
Is Bacliff 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 Galveston County, 66% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 42.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bacliff?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bacliff’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 Bacliff?
By FEMA money that reached Bacliff, Hurricane Harvey (2017): 1,456 households applied for aid, $3.6M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Harvey: 25 paid, $2.1M.
Is Bacliff at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Bacliff’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bacliff.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bacliff’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.