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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Poteet · FEMA

FEMA puts Poteet’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Poteet gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #85 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2002.

River and rain flooding 79%Hail 8%Tornadoes 8%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#85 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
A−#85 of 642
in Texas · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2002 · $43K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 15 declared for Atascosa County
By hazard

What Poteet 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

79%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hurricanes Wildfire Earthquakes Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Ice 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 tornadoes at 20% of Poteet’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (7.5%), 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 Poteet’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Poteet, and Poteet’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hail at 8% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Poteet sits
Poteet
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #85 of 642 in Texas; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Hail8%Tornadoes8%Everything else5%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Poteet has less expected damage per building than 87% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $786K a year in losses across Poteet: $461K 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 162 aid registrations from Poteet addresses (the town has 1,105 homes).
Shared tract.All of Poteet’s 2,795 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 Poteet flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2002

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Poteet, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20022004
20022026
Biggest named events
  • The Torrential rain1 claim · $14K
2
paid claims since 2002
$43K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$21K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Atascosa County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Poteet

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms162 households applied for aid$163K aid approved
  2. 2007Tropical Storm Erin1 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  3. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding28 households applied for aid$58K aid approved
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Tornadoes27 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
  5. 2003Hurricane Claudette15 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
  6. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to the City of Poteet for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PoteetAtascosa County only

Atascosa County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. 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 Atascosa County, 2025–2025.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Poteet archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Poteet 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Poteet

Is Poteet at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Poteet has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #85 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and hail (8%). 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 Poteet flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Poteet since 2002, $43K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Torrential rain (1).

Is Poteet 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 Atascosa County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Poteet?

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

By FEMA money that reached Poteet, Severe Winter Storms (2021): 162 households applied for aid, $163K approved. By flood claims, Torrential rain: 1 paid, $14K.

Is Poteet at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Poteet’s rate for it is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Poteet.

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