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Kirby hill house kountze texas 2014Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kountze · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Kountze faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kountze gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then hurricanes (35%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2003.

River and rain flooding 48%Hurricanes 35%Tornadoes 10%

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 54%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 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
48% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2003 · $219K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
9
of 25 declared for Hardin County
By hazard

What Kountze 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

48%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

35%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Strong wind Wildfire Hail Earthquakes Winter storms Cold waves Lightning 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 22% of Kountze’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (10.0%), 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 Kountze’s grade

River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kountze, and Kountze’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Kountze sits
Kountze
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding48%Hurricanes35%Tornadoes10%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $786K a year in losses across Kountze: $475K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, FEMA took 1,470 aid registrations from Kountze addresses (the town has 967 homes) and flood insurance paid 1 claims for $28K.
Shared tract.All of Kountze’s 1,981 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 Kountze flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kountze, from FEMA’s records: 7.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 2 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200320062024
20032026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Paul2 claims · $15K
  • The Texas Spring Flooding1 claim · $134K
  • Hurricane Rita1 claim · $26K
7
paid claims since 2003
$219K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$31K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hardin County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3storm safe rooms built
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kountze

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding369 households applied for aid$1.0M aid approved$12K to the City of Kountze for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms90 households applied for aid$49K aid approved
  3. 2020Tropical Storms Marco and Laura$7K to the City of Kountze for repairs
  4. 2017Hurricane Harvey1,470 households applied for aid$3.8M aid approved$81K to the City of Kountze for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $28K
  5. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding54 households applied for aid$202K aid approved
  6. 2008Hurricane Ike1,872 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$372K to the City of Kountze for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2005Hurricane Rita3,853 households applied for aid$7.8M aid approved$1.1M to the City of Kountze for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $26K
  2. 2005Hurricane Rita$3K to the City of Kountze for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $26K
  3. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding42 households applied for aid$106K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KountzeHardin County only

Hardin County has had 25 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Kountze archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Kountze 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
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 ↗
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 Kountze

Is Kountze at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kountze has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and hurricanes (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 Kountze flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Kountze since 2003, $219K in all, or 7.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Paul (2).

Is Kountze 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 Hardin County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 12.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Kountze?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kountze, Hurricane Rita (2005): 3,853 households applied for aid, $7.8M approved, and $1.1M to the City of Kountze for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Paul: 2 paid, $15K.

Is Kountze at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Kountze’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kountze.

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