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Robert Lee State Bank IMG 4503Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Robert Lee · FEMA

For wildfire, Robert Lee’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Robert Lee gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (37%), then river and rain flooding (33%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Wildfire 37%River and rain flooding 33%Hail 12%

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

more than 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Texas · higher than 64% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Wildfire
37% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 10 declared for Coke County
By hazard

What Robert Lee faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

37%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

33%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hail

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Strong wind

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Lightning Earthquakes Cold waves Winter storms Ice storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Robert Lee’s grade

Wildfire is 37% of the building damage FEMA expects in Robert Lee, and Robert Lee’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 12%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Robert Lee sits
Robert Lee
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Wildfire37%River and rain flooding33%Hail12%Everything else18%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $684K a year in losses across Robert Lee: $502K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Robert Lee’s 1,027 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 Robert Lee flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Robert Lee. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Coke County.
Disasters

The storms Robert Lee remembers

None of the 10 disasters declared for Coke County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Robert Lee itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Robert LeeCoke County only

Coke County has had 10 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Coke County, 2008–2011.

Be ready

Get ready for what Robert Lee faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Robert Lee

Is Robert Lee at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Robert Lee has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (37%) and river and rain flooding (33%). 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.

Is Robert Lee 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 Coke County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Robert Lee?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Robert Lee’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Robert Lee at risk from wildfire?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (37%), and Robert Lee’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Robert Lee.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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