Photo: Jim Evans · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, La Marque faces more hazard damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Marque gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #421 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (49%), then river and rain flooding (40%). Flood insurance has paid 1,281 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about La Marque’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What La Marque 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 La Marque’s grade
Hurricanes are 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in La Marque, and La Marque’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 5%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #421 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
La Marque’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, La Marque has more expected damage per building than 66% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.4M a year in losses across La Marque: $4.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does La Marque flood? Yes: 1,281 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in La Marque, from FEMA’s records: 158.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike270 claims · $7.3M
- Hurricane Harvey240 claims · $18.9M
- Hurricane Alicia152 claims · $1.4M
La Marque isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Galveston County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to La Marque
Disasters that paid out in La Marque itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of La Marque), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Beryl3,443 households applied for aid$3.2M aid approved$851K to the City of La Marque for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
- 2021Severe Winter Storms695 households applied for aid$309K aid approved$623K to the City of La Marque for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2020Tropical Storms Marco and Laura$82K to the City of La Marque for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Harvey3,170 households applied for aid$5.9M aid approved$802K to the City of La Marque for repairs240 flood claims paid for it, $18.9M
- 2008Hurricane Ike3,351 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved$2.9M to the City of La Marque for repairs270 flood claims paid for it, $7.3M
- 2005Hurricane Rita2,760 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$141K to the City of La Marque for repairs
Show all 8
- 2005Hurricane Rita$39K to the City of La Marque for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Claudette17 households applied for aid$20K aid approved9 flood claims paid for it, $137K
Galveston County has had 25 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.
Old photos of La Marque after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the La Marque archive →La Marque and its neighbors
La Marque is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas City | B−less damage than 53% | hurricanes | 2,751 |
| La Marque | C+more damage than 62% | hurricanes | 1,281 |
| Bayou Vista | C−more damage than 78% | hurricanes | 272 |
| Hitchcock | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 1,273 |
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 La Marque 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 La Marque
Is La Marque at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Marque has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #421 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (49%) and river and rain flooding (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does La Marque flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,281 claims in La Marque since 1979, $32.8M in all, or 158.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 104 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (270).
Is La Marque 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 Galveston County, 66% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 42.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in La Marque?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for La Marque’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 La Marque?
By FEMA money that reached La Marque, Hurricane Harvey (2017): 3,170 households applied for aid, $5.9M approved, and $802K to the City of La Marque for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 270 paid, $7.3M.
Is La Marque at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and La Marque’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in La Marque.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where La Marque’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.