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BangsTexas (1 of 1)Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bangs · FEMA

FEMA puts Bangs’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 70% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bangs gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then wildfire (23%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1989.

River and rain flooding 48%Wildfire 23%Hail 14%

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

less than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Texas · lower than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
48% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1989 · $23K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 18 declared for Brown County

What stands out about Bangs’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 70% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants3 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Bangs 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

48%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Cold waves top 0% Strong wind Hurricanes Earthquakes Winter storms Lightning Ice storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of Bangs’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (2.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Bangs’ grade

River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bangs, and Bangs’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 23%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bangs sits
Bangs
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Bangs’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding48%Wildfire23%Hail14%Everything else15%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $512K a year in losses across Bangs: $229K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bangs’ 1,540 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bangs flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1989

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bangs, from FEMA’s records: 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1989: 1 claim1990: 1 claim1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198919902002
19892026
Biggest named events
  • The Torrential rain1 claim · $15K
4
paid claims since 1989
$23K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bangs isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Brown County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3storm safe rooms built
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bangs

Disasters that paid out in Bangs itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bangs), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms42 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BangsBrown County only

Brown County has had 18 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Brown County, 2008–2018.

Were you here?

Old photos of Bangs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bangs archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bangs faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Bangs

Is Bangs at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bangs has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and wildfire (23%). 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 Bangs flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Bangs since 1989, $23K in all, or 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Torrential rain (1).

Is Bangs 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 Brown County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bangs?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bangs’ 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 Bangs?

By FEMA money that reached Bangs, Severe Winter Storms (2021): 42 households applied for aid, $14K approved. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 1 paid, $15K.

Is Bangs at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Bangs’ rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bangs.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bangs’ 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.