Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY 3.0For hail, Lamesa’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lamesa gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #261 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%), then hail (21%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1980.
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 Lamesa 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
Hail
Strong wind
Tornadoes
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 Lamesa’s grade
River and rain flooding is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lamesa, and Lamesa’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 21%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B #261 of 642 in Texas; lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lamesa’s residents live in 3 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, Lamesa has less expected damage per building than 59% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.1M a year in losses across Lamesa: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lamesa flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lamesa, from FEMA’s records: 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Lamesa isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dawson County.The storms Lamesa remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Dawson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lamesa itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19944 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20012 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Dawson 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.
Old photos of Lamesa after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lamesa archive →Get ready for what Lamesa 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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 Lamesa
Is Lamesa at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lamesa has lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #261 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%) and hail (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lamesa flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Lamesa since 1980, $143K in all, or 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Lamesa 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 Dawson County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lamesa?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lamesa’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Lamesa at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Lamesa’s rate for it is lower than 71% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lamesa.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lamesa’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.