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Harper TxPhoto: TigerPaw2154 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Harper · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harper gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 74%Wildfire 9%Tornadoes 8%

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

less than 68%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Texas · lower than 68% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 14 declared for Gillespie County
By hazard

What Harper 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

74%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Wildfire

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hurricanes Winter storms Earthquakes Cold waves Lightning Ice storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Harper’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harper, and Harper’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 9%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Harper sits
Harper
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Wildfire9%Tornadoes8%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $669K a year in losses across Harper: $372K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Winter Storms in 2021, FEMA took 143 aid registrations from Harper addresses (the town has 570 homes).
Shared tract.All of Harper’s 1,332 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Harper flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Harper. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Gillespie County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Harper

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$31K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms143 households applied for aid$61K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HarperGillespie County only

Gillespie County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe 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 Gillespie County, 2025–2025.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Harper archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Harper 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Harper

Is Harper at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harper has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and wildfire (9%). 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.

Is Harper 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 Gillespie County, 1.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Harper?

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

By FEMA money that reached Harper, Severe Winter Storms (2021): 143 households applied for aid, $61K approved.

Is Harper at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Harper’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harper.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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