Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Goodrich
Goodrich isn’t graded for hazard risk: Goodrich has 323 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Goodrich 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
Tornadoes
Strong wind
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.
Does Goodrich flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Goodrich. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Goodrich isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Polk County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Goodrich
Disasters that paid out in Goodrich itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Goodrich), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Beryl379 households applied for aid$655K aid approved
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding276 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved
- 2021Severe Winter Storms61 households applied for aid$61K aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Harvey282 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved$23K to the City of Goodrich for repairs
- 2008Hurricane Ike377 households applied for aid$258K aid approved$31K to the City of Goodrich for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Rita718 households applied for aid$701K aid approved$12K to the City of Goodrich for repairs
Polk County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Goodrich after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Goodrich archive →Get ready for what Goodrich 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Goodrich
Is Goodrich 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 Polk County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Goodrich?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Goodrich’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 Goodrich?
By FEMA money that reached Goodrich, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2024): 276 households applied for aid, $1.5M approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Goodrich.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Goodrich’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.