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Orchard TX Water TowerPhoto: Djmaschek · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Orchard · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Orchard

Orchard isn’t graded for hazard risk: Orchard has 338 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2017.

Flood claims
4
paid since 2017 · $213K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 21 declared for Fort Bend County
By hazard

What Orchard 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

71%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

24%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves 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 16% of Orchard’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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Orchard flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2017

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Orchard, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20172020
20172026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Harvey2 claims · $115K
4
paid claims since 2017
$213K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$53K
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

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

Insurance rates: Fort Bend County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Orchard

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Beryl77 households applied for aid$59K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms8 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  3. 2017Hurricane Harvey19 households applied for aid$18K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $115K
  4. 2008Hurricane Ike6 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OrchardFort Bend County only

Fort Bend County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Fort Bend County, 2006–2006.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Orchard archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Orchard 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Orchard

Does Orchard flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Orchard since 2017, $213K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Harvey (2).

Is Orchard 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 Fort Bend County, 42% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 15.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Orchard?

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

By FEMA money that reached Orchard, Hurricane Beryl (2024): 77 households applied for aid, $59K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Harvey: 2 paid, $115K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orchard.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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