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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Natalia · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Natalia faces less hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Natalia gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 74%Tornadoes 9%Strong wind 6%

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 66%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 66% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 1987 · $84K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 14 declared for Medina County
By hazard

What Natalia 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

74%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms Earthquakes Lightning Ice storms Cold waves 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 Natalia’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Natalia, and Natalia’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Natalia sits
Natalia
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Tornadoes9%Strong wind6%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $249K a year in losses across Natalia: $140K 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 46 aid registrations from Natalia addresses (the town has 401 homes).
Shared tract.All of Natalia’s 1,202 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 Natalia flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Natalia, from FEMA’s records: 12.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% 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: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 2 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198720022015
19872026
Biggest named events
  • The Early summer storms2 claims · $35K
5
paid claims since 1987
$84K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$17K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Medina County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Natalia

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms46 households applied for aid$39K aid approved
  2. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$13K to the City of Natalia for repairs
  3. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$169K to the City of Natalia for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NataliaMedina County only

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

Add to the Natalia archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Natalia 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Natalia

Is Natalia at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Natalia has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (9%). 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 Natalia flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Natalia since 1987, $84K in all, or 12.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Early summer storms (2).

Is Natalia 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 Medina County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Natalia?

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

By FEMA money that reached Natalia, Severe Storms and Flooding (2002): $169K to the City of Natalia for repairs. By flood claims, Early summer storms: 2 paid, $35K.

Is Natalia at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Natalia’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Natalia.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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