Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Crosby

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Crosby · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Crosby than in 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Crosby gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #460 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then hurricanes (36%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 57%Hurricanes 36%Tornadoes 5%

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

more than 68%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#460 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
C#460 of 642
in Texas · higher than 68% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
12
of 34 declared for Harris County
By hazard

What Crosby 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

57%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

36%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Hail Wildfire Cold waves Coastal flooding Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 22% of Crosby’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (5.4%), 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 Crosby’s grade

River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Crosby, and Crosby’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 36% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Crosby sits
Crosby
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #460 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Crosby’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 flooding57%Hurricanes36%Tornadoes5%Everything else1%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Crosby has more expected damage per building than 72% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Crosby: $964K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Beryl in 2024, FEMA took 6,712 aid registrations from Crosby addresses (the town has 1,467 homes).
A small-area figure. Crosby 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 Crosby flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Crosby. 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

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

Insurance rates: Harris County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
12flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Crosby

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Beryl6,712 households applied for aid$6.3M aid approved
  2. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding955 households applied for aid$1.0M aid approved
  3. 2021Severe Winter Storms955 households applied for aid$639K aid approved
  4. 2019Tropical Storm Imelda300 households applied for aid$903K aid approved
  5. 2017Hurricane Harvey3,210 households applied for aid$8.6M aid approved
  6. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding22 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
Show all 12
  1. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding37 households applied for aid$44K aid approved
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding174 households applied for aid$262K aid approved
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding23 households applied for aid$48K aid approved
  4. 2008Hurricane Ike4,016 households applied for aid$2.0M aid approved
  5. 2005Hurricane Rita2,320 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved
  6. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding8 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CrosbyHarris County only

Harris County has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Harris County, 2011–2011.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Crosby archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Crosby 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Crosby

Is Crosby at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Crosby has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #460 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and hurricanes (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Crosby 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 Harris County, 48% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 16.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Crosby?

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

By FEMA money that reached Crosby, Hurricane Harvey (2017): 3,210 households applied for aid, $8.6M approved.

Is Crosby at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Crosby’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Crosby.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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