Photo: Randy C. Bunney, Great Circle PhotoGraphics · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Fulton faces more hazard damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fulton gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (59%), then river and rain flooding (35%). Flood insurance has paid 27 claims here since 1992.
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 Fulton faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Fulton’s grade
Hurricanes are 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fulton, and Fulton’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fulton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $982K a year in losses across Fulton: $769K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fulton flood? Sometimes: 27 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fulton, from FEMA’s records: 37.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Harvey11 claims · $1.0M
- Tropical Storm Bill2 claims · $21K
Fulton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Aransas County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fulton
Disasters that paid out in Fulton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Fulton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms31 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$7K to the Town of Fulton for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Harvey901 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved$4.7M to the Town of Fulton for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $1.0M
- 2003Hurricane Claudette5 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
- 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding27 households applied for aid$104K aid approved
Aransas County has had 24 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Aransas County, 2009–2009.
Old photos of Fulton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fulton archive →Fulton and its neighbors
Fulton has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton | C−more damage than 79% | hurricanes | 27 |
| Rockport | C−more damage than 84% | hurricanes | 626 |
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 Fulton faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Fulton
Is Fulton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fulton has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (59%) and river and rain flooding (35%). 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 Fulton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 27 claims in Fulton since 1992, $1.3M in all, or 37.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Harvey (11).
Is Fulton 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 Aransas County, 69% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 25.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fulton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fulton’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 Fulton?
By FEMA money that reached Fulton, Hurricane Harvey (2017): 901 households applied for aid, $1.4M approved, and $4.7M to the Town of Fulton for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Harvey: 11 paid, $1.0M.
Is Fulton at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Fulton’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fulton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fulton’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.