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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Orange Grove · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Orange Grove than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orange Grove gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (61%), then river and rain flooding (27%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2014.

Hurricanes 61%River and rain flooding 27%Hail 5%

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 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Texas · higher than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
61% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2014 · $184K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 25 declared for Jim Wells County
By hazard

What Orange Grove faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

61%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

River and rain flooding

27%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Wildfire Cold waves top 3% Lightning Earthquakes 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 cold waves at 38% of Orange Grove’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.2%), 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 Orange Grove’s grade

Hurricanes are 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orange Grove, and Orange Grove’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Orange Grove sits
Orange Grove
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Orange Grove’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes61%River and rain flooding27%Hail5%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Orange Grove: $638K 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 136 aid registrations from Orange Grove addresses (the town has 492 homes).
A small-area figure. Orange Grove covers 2 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 Orange Grove flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2014

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Orange Grove, from FEMA’s records: 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20142017
20142026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Harvey1 claim · $181K
2
paid claims since 2014
$184K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$92K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Jim Wells County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Orange Grove

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms136 households applied for aid$107K aid approved$6K to the City of Orange Grove for repairs
  2. 2018Severe Storms and Flooding47 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding178 households applied for aid$321K aid approved$398K to the City of Orange Grove for repairs
  4. 2010Hurricane Alex$3K to the City of Orange Grove for repairs
  5. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding35 households applied for aid$98K aid approved
  6. 1999Hurricane Bret$5K to the City of Orange Grove for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Orange GroveJim Wells County only

Jim Wells County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Orange Grove after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Orange Grove archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Orange Grove faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Orange Grove

Is Orange Grove at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orange Grove has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (61%) and river and rain flooding (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Orange Grove flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Orange Grove since 2014, $184K in all, or 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Harvey (1).

Is Orange Grove 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 Jim Wells County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Orange Grove?

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

By FEMA money that reached Orange Grove, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2015): 178 households applied for aid, $321K approved, and $398K to the City of Orange Grove for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Harvey: 1 paid, $181K.

Is Orange Grove at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Orange Grove’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orange Grove.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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