Storms, floods and disasters in Bear Creek
Bear Creek isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bear Creek has 515 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2017.
What Bear Creek 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
Hail
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.
Does Bear Creek flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bear Creek, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Harvey1 claim · $131K
Bear Creek isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hays County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bear Creek
Disasters that paid out in Bear Creek itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Bear Creek), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Village of Bear Creek for repairs
- 1998Tx-flooding 10/18/98$2K to the Village of Bear Creek for repairs
Hays 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Hays County, 2000–2008.
Old photos of Bear Creek after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bear Creek archive →Bear Creek and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2,221 |
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 Bear Creek 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.
- 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.
- 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 Bear Creek
Does Bear Creek flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Bear Creek since 2017, $131K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Harvey (1).
Is Bear Creek 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 Hays County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bear Creek?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bear Creek’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 Bear Creek?
By FEMA money that reached Bear Creek, Severe Storms and Flooding (2013): $2K to the Village of Bear Creek for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Harvey: 1 paid, $131K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bear Creek.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bear Creek’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.