Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Plainview’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from hail
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Plainview gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #625 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is hail (68%), then river and rain flooding (20%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1981.
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 Plainview faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hail
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
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 Plainview’s grade
Hail is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Plainview, and Plainview’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #625 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Plainview’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Plainview has more expected damage per building than 97% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.3M a year in losses across Plainview: $10.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Plainview flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Plainview, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Plainview isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hale County.The storms Plainview remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Hale County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Plainview itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20133 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19852 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Hale County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Plainview after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Plainview archive →Plainview and its neighbors
Plainview has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plainview | Dmore damage than 89% | hail | 8 |
| Seth Ward | Dmore damage than 89% | hail | — |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Plainview faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Plainview
Is Plainview at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Plainview has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #625 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is hail (68%) and river and rain flooding (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Plainview flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Plainview since 1981, $101K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Plainview 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 Hale County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Plainview?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Plainview’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Plainview at risk from hail?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Plainview’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Plainview.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Plainview’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.