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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Marion · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Marion than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marion gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 81%Tornadoes 8%Hail 7%

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 65%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 65% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
81% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 1998 · $1.0M
Flooded more than once
1
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
3
of 18 declared for Guadalupe County

What stands out about Marion’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 65% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way1 home raised above flood level with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Marion 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

81%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Earthquakes Cold waves Lightning Ice storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Marion’s grade

River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marion, and Marion’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Marion sits
Marion
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding81%Tornadoes8%Hail7%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $549K a year in losses across Marion: $211K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Winter Storms in 2021, FEMA took 43 aid registrations from Marion addresses (the town has 431 homes).
Shared tract.All of Marion’s 1,034 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 Marion flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Marion, from FEMA’s records: 25.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 4 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 2 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 2 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820022004
19982026
Biggest named events
  • The Torrential rain2 claims · $314K
  • Tropical Storm Erin2 claims · $40K
  • The Fall severe storms1 claim · $33K
11
paid claims since 1998
$1.0M
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$94K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Guadalupe County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Marion

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$46K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms43 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding1 households applied for aid$12K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MarionGuadalupe County only

Guadalupe County has had 18 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Marion archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Marion 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Marion

Is Marion at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marion has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (8%). 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 Marion flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Marion since 1998, $1.0M in all, or 25.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Torrential rain (2).

Is Marion 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 Guadalupe County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Marion?

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

By FEMA money that reached Marion, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2025): 3 households applied for aid, $46K approved. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 2 paid, $314K.

Is Marion at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Marion’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marion.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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