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ManchacaPostOfficePhoto: WhisperToMe · Public domain
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Manchaca · FEMA

FEMA puts Manchaca’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Manchaca gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 87%Hail 6%Tornadoes 5%

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

more than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Texas · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 26 declared for Travis County
By hazard

What Manchaca 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

87%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hurricanes Wildfire Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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 19% of Manchaca’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (5.2%), 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 Manchaca’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Manchaca, and Manchaca’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 6%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Manchaca sits
Manchaca
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Manchaca’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Hail6%Tornadoes5%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $850K a year in losses across Manchaca: $602K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Manchaca covers 2 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 Manchaca flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Travis County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Manchaca

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding8 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding57 households applied for aid$555K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ManchacaTravis County only

Travis County has had 26 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 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Travis County, 2006–2011.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Manchaca archive →
Next door

Manchaca and its neighbors

Manchaca is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

San Leanna: not gradedAustin: hazard risk BSan LeannaAustinManchaca
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AustinBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding2,221
ManchacaC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding0
San Leanna—not graded yet

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 Manchaca 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Manchaca

Is Manchaca at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Manchaca has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hail (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Manchaca 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 Travis County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Manchaca?

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

By FEMA money that reached Manchaca, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): 57 households applied for aid, $555K approved.

Is Manchaca at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Manchaca’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Manchaca.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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