More hazard damage per building is expected in Four Corners than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Four Corners gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #615 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then hurricanes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 35 claims here since 1981.
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
What Four Corners 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
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind Four Corners’ grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Four Corners, and Four Corners’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 19% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).
D #615 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Four Corners’ residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Four Corners has more expected damage per building than 96% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.1M a year in losses across Four Corners: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Four Corners flood? Sometimes: 35 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Four Corners, from FEMA’s records: 10.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Harvey12 claims · $1.0M
- Hurricane Beryl5 claims · $261K
- The Spring severe storms3 claims · $187K
Four Corners isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fort Bend County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Four Corners
Disasters that paid out in Four Corners itself (aid to households or repair grants to Four Corners), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Harvey3 households applied for aid$12K aid approved12 flood claims paid for it, $1.0M
Fort Bend County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. 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 Fort Bend County, 2006–2006.
Old photos of Four Corners after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Four Corners archive →Four Corners and its neighbors
Four Corners is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 71,124 |
| Four Corners | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Mission Bend | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 263 |
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 Four Corners 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.
- 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.
- 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 Four Corners
Is Four Corners at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Four Corners has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #615 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and hurricanes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Four Corners flood?
Flood insurance has paid 35 claims in Four Corners since 1981, $1.8M in all, or 10.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Harvey (12).
Is Four Corners 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 Fort Bend County, 42% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 15.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Four Corners?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Four Corners’ 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 Four Corners?
By FEMA money that reached Four Corners, Hurricane Harvey (2017): 3 households applied for aid, $12K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Harvey: 12 paid, $1.0M.
Is Four Corners at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Four Corners’ rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Four Corners.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Four Corners’ 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.