Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0Olney’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Olney gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #217 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%), then wildfire (21%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1982.
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 Olney 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
Wildfire
Tornadoes
Hail
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 Olney’s grade
River and rain flooding is 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Olney, and Olney’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 21%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B #217 of 642 in Texas; lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Olney’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Olney has less expected damage per building than 66% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Olney: $990K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Olney flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Olney, from FEMA’s records: 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Olney isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Young County.The storms Olney remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Young County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Olney itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19832 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19841 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Young County has had 13 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.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Young County, 2011–2011.
Old photos of Olney after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Olney archive →Get ready for what Olney 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Olney
Is Olney at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Olney has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #217 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%) and wildfire (21%). 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 Olney flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Olney since 1982, $63K in all, or 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Olney 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 Young County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Olney?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Olney’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Olney at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Olney’s rate for it is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Olney.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Olney’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.