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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Preston · FEMA

FEMA puts Preston’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Preston gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2015.

River and rain flooding 77%Hail 8%Tornadoes 6%

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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Texas · lower than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2015 · $83K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 83% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Preston 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

77%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 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 8 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Earthquakes Wildfire Strong wind Cold waves top 1% Winter storms Hurricanes Lightning 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 19% of Preston’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (6.5%), 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 Preston’s grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Preston, and Preston’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Preston sits
Preston
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Hail8%Tornadoes6%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $751K a year in losses across Preston: $451K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Preston’s 2,101 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 Preston flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2015

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Preston, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2015
20152026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Bill1 claim · $83K
1
paid claims since 2015
$83K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$83K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Grayson County.
Disasters

The storms Preston remembers

None of the 15 disasters declared for Grayson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Preston itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20151 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding, declared for Grayson County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PrestonGrayson County only

Grayson County has had 15 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Preston archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Preston 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 Preston

Is Preston at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Preston has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) 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 Preston flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Preston since 2015, $83K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Bill (1).

Is Preston 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 Grayson County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Preston?

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

By flood claims, Tropical Storm Bill: 1 paid, $83K.

Is Preston at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Preston’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Preston.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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