Photo: Shane.torgerson · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Monahans’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Monahans gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #114 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hail (12%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Monahans 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
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 Monahans’ grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Monahans, and Monahans’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 12%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #114 of 642 in Texas; lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Monahans’ 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, Monahans has less expected damage per building than 82% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Monahans: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Monahans flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Monahans. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Monahans isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ward County.The storms Monahans remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Ward County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Monahans itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Ward County has had 6 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.
Monahans and its neighbors
Monahans is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Sandhill | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Monahans | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Thorntonville | — | 626 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Monahans 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.
- 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 Monahans
Is Monahans at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Monahans has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #114 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hail (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Monahans 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 Ward County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Monahans?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Monahans’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Monahans at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Monahans’ rate for it is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Monahans.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Monahans’ 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.