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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Joshua · FEMA

FEMA puts Joshua’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Joshua gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #125 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then tornadoes (26%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2000.

River and rain flooding 56%Tornadoes 26%Wildfire 9%

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 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#125 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
A−#125 of 642
in Texas · lower than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2000 · $15K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 11 declared for Johnson County

What stands out about Joshua’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants8 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Joshua 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

56%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

26%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Hurricanes Cold waves top 4% Winter storms Lightning Ice storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 44% of Joshua’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (26.0%), 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 Joshua’s grade

River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Joshua, and Joshua’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 26%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Joshua sits
Joshua
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #125 of 642 in Texas; lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Joshua’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding56%Tornadoes26%Wildfire9%Everything else9%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Joshua has less expected damage per building than 81% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Joshua: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Joshua covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Joshua flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2000

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Joshua, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200020062018
20002026
3
paid claims since 2000
$15K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Johnson County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
8storm safe rooms built
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Joshua

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms171 households applied for aid$111K aid approved
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding21 households applied for aid$26K aid approved
  3. 2005Extreme Wildfire Threat2 households applied for aid$34K aid approved
  4. 2005Hurricane Rita$1K to the City of Joshua for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in JoshuaJohnson County only

Johnson County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Johnson County, 2000–2006.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Joshua archive →
Next door

Joshua and its neighbors

Joshua has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Burleson: hazard risk BCleburne: hazard risk B−BurlesonCleburneJoshua
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
JoshuaA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding3
BurlesonBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding40
CleburneB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding92

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Joshua 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Joshua

Is Joshua at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Joshua has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #125 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and tornadoes (26%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Joshua flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Joshua since 2000, $15K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Joshua 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 Johnson County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Joshua?

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

By FEMA money that reached Joshua, Severe Winter Storms (2021): 171 households applied for aid, $111K approved.

Is Joshua at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Joshua’s rate for it is lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Joshua.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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