Photo: Josh Berglund from Richardson, United States · CC BY 2.0Quanah’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Quanah gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is strong wind (33%), then river and rain flooding (27%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1979.
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 Quanah faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Strong wind
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Hail
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 Quanah’s grade
Strong wind is 33% of the building damage FEMA expects in Quanah, and Quanah’s rate of strong wind damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
B− lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Quanah’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Quanah: $913K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Quanah flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Quanah, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
The storms Quanah remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Hardeman County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Quanah itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19941 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Hardeman 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Hardeman County, 2019–2019.
Old photos of Quanah after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Quanah archive →Get ready for what Quanah faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Quanah
Is Quanah at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Quanah has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is strong wind (33%) and river and rain flooding (27%). 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 Quanah flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Quanah since 1979, $52K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Quanah 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.
How much is flood insurance in Quanah?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Quanah’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Quanah at risk from strong wind?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (33%), and Quanah’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Quanah.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Quanah’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.