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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Melissa · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Melissa than in 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Melissa gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #449 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then hail (33%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 57%Hail 33%Tornadoes 8%

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 67%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#449 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
C#449 of 642
in Texas · higher than 67% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 14 declared for Collin County

What stands out about Melissa’s natural hazards

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

Hail: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hail here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 32.8% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants7 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Melissa 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

57%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hail

33%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Hurricanes Strong wind Cold waves Winter storms 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 61% of Melissa’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (7.8%), 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 Melissa’s grade

River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Melissa, and Melissa’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 33%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Melissa sits
Melissa
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #449 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Melissa’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding57%Hail33%Tornadoes8%Everything else2%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Melissa has more expected damage per building than 70% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.4M a year in losses across Melissa: $2.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Melissa covers 4 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 Melissa flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Melissa. 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

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

Insurance rates: Collin County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7storm safe rooms built
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Melissa

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding33 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms112 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MelissaCollin County only

Collin County has had 14 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 Melissa after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Melissa archive →
Next door

Melissa and its neighbors

Melissa is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

McKinney: hazard risk C+Anna: hazard risk CMcKinneyAnnaMelissa
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
McKinneyC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding12
MelissaCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding0
AnnaCmore damage than 74%river and rain flooding—

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 Melissa 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 Melissa

Is Melissa at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Melissa has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #449 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and hail (33%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Melissa 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 Collin County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Melissa?

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

By FEMA money that reached Melissa, Severe Winter Storms (2021): 112 households applied for aid, $21K approved.

Is Melissa at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Melissa’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Melissa.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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