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John Howland Wood HouseJohn Howland Wood House · Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Bayside · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Bayside

Bayside isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bayside has 412 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 2000.

Flood claims
12
paid since 2000 · $246K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
5
of 23 declared for Refugio County
By hazard

What Bayside faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

61%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

River and rain flooding

34%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Coastal flooding Strong wind Hail Cold waves top 2% Lightning Earthquakes Winter storms Ice storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 17% of Bayside’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Bayside flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 2000

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bayside, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 8 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200020102017
20002026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Harvey8 claims · $184K
12
paid claims since 2000
$246K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Refugio County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bayside

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

  1. 2017Hurricane Harvey233 households applied for aid$865K aid approved$951K to the Town of Bayside for repairs8 flood claims paid for it, $184K
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding$15K to the Town of Bayside for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$24K to the Town of Bayside for repairs
  4. 2003Hurricane Claudette3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  5. 1998Tx-flooding 10/18/98$22K to the Town of Bayside for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BaysideRefugio County only

Refugio County has had 23 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bayside archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bayside faces

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

Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Bayside

Does Bayside flood?

Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Bayside since 2000, $246K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Harvey (8).

Is Bayside 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 Refugio County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bayside?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bayside, Hurricane Harvey (2017): 233 households applied for aid, $865K approved, and $951K to the Town of Bayside for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Harvey: 8 paid, $184K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bayside.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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