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BenWheeler2Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ben Wheeler · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Ben Wheeler faces less hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ben Wheeler gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then tornadoes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 64%Tornadoes 13%Hail 8%

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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Texas · lower than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 15 declared for Van Zandt County
By hazard

What Ben Wheeler 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

64%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Hurricanes Wildfire Earthquakes Winter storms Cold waves Lightning 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 16% of Ben Wheeler’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.2%), 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 Ben Wheeler’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ben Wheeler, and Ben Wheeler’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ben Wheeler sits
Ben Wheeler
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Ben Wheeler’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Tornadoes13%Hail8%Everything else15%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $140K a year in losses across Ben Wheeler: $68K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding in 2024, FEMA took 167 aid registrations from Ben Wheeler addresses (the town has 421 homes).
A small-area figure. Ben Wheeler covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Ben Wheeler flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ben Wheeler. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Van Zandt County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ben Wheeler

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding167 households applied for aid$601K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms59 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding43 households applied for aid$71K aid approved
  4. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Ben WheelerVan Zandt County only

Van Zandt County has had 15 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ben Wheeler archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ben Wheeler 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Ben Wheeler

Is Ben Wheeler at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ben Wheeler has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Ben Wheeler 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 Van Zandt County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ben Wheeler?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ben Wheeler, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2024): 167 households applied for aid, $601K approved.

Is Ben Wheeler at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Ben Wheeler’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ben Wheeler.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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