Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Rice

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Rice · FEMA

FEMA puts Rice’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rice gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then tornadoes (23%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2018.

River and rain flooding 55%Tornadoes 23%Hail 7%

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 84%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 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2018 · $2K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 21 declared for Navarro County

What stands out about Rice’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 84% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants2 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Rice 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

55%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Wildfire

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Strong wind Hurricanes Earthquakes Cold waves top 1% Winter storms 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 cold waves at 14% of Rice’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (1.2%), 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 Rice’s grade

River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rice, and Rice’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 23%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Rice sits
Rice
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding55%Tornadoes23%Hail7%Everything else15%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $548K a year in losses across Rice: $186K 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 46 aid registrations from Rice addresses (the town has 420 homes).
Shared tract.All of Rice’s 1,203 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 Rice flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rice, from FEMA’s records: 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2018
20182026
1
paid claims since 2018
$2K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Navarro County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2storm safe rooms built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rice

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$75K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms46 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding20 households applied for aid$55K aid approved$8K to the City of Rice for repairs
  4. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding1 households applied for aid$393 aid approved
  5. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$32K to the City of Rice for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RiceNavarro County only

Navarro County has had 21 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Rice archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Rice 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
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 Rice

Is Rice at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rice has lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and tornadoes (23%). 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 Rice flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Rice since 2018, $2K in all, or 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Rice 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 Navarro County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rice?

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

By FEMA money that reached Rice, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2024): 19 households applied for aid, $75K approved.

Is Rice at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Rice’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rice.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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