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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in East Bernard · FEMA

FEMA puts East Bernard’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Bernard gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then hurricanes (42%). Flood insurance has paid 33 claims here since 2016.

River and rain flooding 54%Hurricanes 42%Tornadoes 2%

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 89%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Texas · higher than 89% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
33
paid since 2016 · $4.0M
Flooded more than once
12
properties · 3 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
6
of 20 declared for Wharton County
By hazard

What East Bernard 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

54%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

42%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Earthquakes Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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 15% of East Bernard’s expected losses. Cold waves do 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind East Bernard’s grade

River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in East Bernard, and East Bernard’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 42%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where East Bernard sits
East Bernard
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding54%Hurricanes42%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across East Bernard: $1.3M 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 457 aid registrations from East Bernard addresses (the town has 1,083 homes).
Shared tract.All of East Bernard’s 2,218 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Hungerford CDP (390 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 East Bernard flood? Sometimes: 33 flood claims since 2016

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in East Bernard, from FEMA’s records: 30.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2016: 11 claims2017: 22 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20162017
20162026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Harvey22 claims · $3.3M
  • The Spring severe storms11 claims · $637K
33
paid claims since 2016
$4.0M
paid to owners
12
homes flooded more than once
$121K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Wharton County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to East Bernard

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Beryl457 households applied for aid$538K aid approved$19K to the City of East Bernard for repairs
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms114 households applied for aid$89K aid approved
  3. 2017Hurricane Harvey423 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$91K to the City of East Bernard for repairs22 flood claims paid for it, $3.3M
  4. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding40 households applied for aid$120K aid approved11 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding10 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  6. 2008Hurricane Ike10 households applied for aid$730 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in East BernardWharton County only

Wharton County has had 20 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 East Bernard after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the East Bernard archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what East Bernard 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 ↗
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 East Bernard

Is East Bernard at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Bernard has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and hurricanes (42%). 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 East Bernard flood?

Flood insurance has paid 33 claims in East Bernard since 2016, $4.0M in all, or 30.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 12 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Harvey (22).

Is East Bernard 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 Wharton County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 10.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in East Bernard?

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

By FEMA money that reached East Bernard, Hurricane Harvey (2017): 423 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved, and $91K to the City of East Bernard for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Harvey: 22 paid, $3.3M.

Is East Bernard at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and East Bernard’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in East Bernard.

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