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Muenster Texas Wood Carving, February 2013Photo: Lothar1976 · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Muenster · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Muenster faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Muenster gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 56%Tornadoes 14%Hail 10%

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 54%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 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1987 · $4K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 17 declared for Cooke County
By hazard

What Muenster 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

56%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Wildfire

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Hurricanes Cold waves top 2% Winter storms Lightning 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 drought at 23% of Muenster’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Muenster’s grade

River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Muenster, and Muenster’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 10%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Muenster sits
Muenster
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding56%Tornadoes14%Hail10%Everything else19%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Muenster: $753K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Muenster’s 1,536 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Lindsay city (1,045 residents) and Myra CDP (202 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Muenster flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Muenster, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1987
19872026
1
paid claims since 1987
$4K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Cooke County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
39storm safe rooms built
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Muenster

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

  1. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding13 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$69K to the City of Muenster for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$23K to the City of Muenster for repairs
  3. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$2K to the City of Muenster for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MuensterCooke County only

Cooke County has had 17 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 Muenster after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Muenster archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Muenster 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 Muenster

Is Muenster at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Muenster has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and tornadoes (14%). 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 Muenster flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Muenster since 1987, $4K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Muenster 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 Cooke County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Muenster?

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

By FEMA money that reached Muenster, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2015): 13 households applied for aid, $2K approved, and $69K to the City of Muenster for repairs.

Is Muenster at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Muenster’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Muenster.

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