For hail, Potosi’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Potosi gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #429 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is hail (45%), then river and rain flooding (42%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1986.
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 Potosi 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
Wildfire
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 Potosi’s grade
Hail is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Potosi, and Potosi’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 8%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #429 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Potosi’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, Potosi has more expected damage per building than 67% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Potosi: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Potosi flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Potosi, from FEMA’s records: 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Torrential rain3 claims · $96K
- The Fall severe storms1 claim · $92K
- The Early summer severe storms1 claim · $3K
Potosi isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Taylor County.The storms Potosi remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Taylor County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Potosi itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20023 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Taylor County
- 20072 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Erin, declared for Taylor County
- 19861 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Taylor County has had 14 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 Taylor County, 2009–2022.
Old photos of Potosi after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Potosi archive →Potosi and its neighbors
Potosi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potosi | C+more damage than 64% | hail | 11 |
| Abilene | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 686 |
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 Potosi 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.
- 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.
- 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 Potosi
Is Potosi at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Potosi has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #429 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is hail (45%) and river and rain flooding (42%). 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 Potosi flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Potosi since 1986, $276K in all, or 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Torrential rain (3).
Is Potosi 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 Taylor County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Potosi?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Potosi’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 Potosi?
By flood claims, Torrential rain: 3 paid, $96K.
Is Potosi at risk from hail?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Potosi’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Potosi.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Potosi’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.