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Rockwall November 2015 08 (Rusk Street)Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Rockwall · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Rockwall as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rockwall gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #283 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then hail (16%). Flood insurance has paid 32 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 64%Hail 16%Tornadoes 15%

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 54%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#283 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
B−#283 of 642
in Texas · lower than 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
32
paid since 1979 · $1.4M
Flooded more than once
4
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 11 declared for Rockwall County

What stands out about Rockwall’s natural hazards

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

Made safer with FEMA grants51 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.Remembers 20187 flood claims were paid for 2018 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Rockwall 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

64%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hail

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves top 3% Lightning Hurricanes 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 35% of Rockwall’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (14.9%), 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 Rockwall’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rockwall, and Rockwall’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 16%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Rockwall sits
Rockwall
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #283 of 642 in Texas; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Rockwall’s residents live in 15 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Hail16%Tornadoes15%Everything else5%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Rockwall has less expected damage per building than 56% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $20.5M a year in losses across Rockwall: $10.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 15 census tracts by where Rockwall’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Rockwall flood? Sometimes: 32 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rockwall, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 2 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 1 claim1995: 1 claim1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 3 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 2 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 1 claim2017: 2 claims2018: 7 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 2 claims2025: 3 claims2026: 1 claim199920182025
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The March storm2 claims · $109K
  • The Early summer severe storms1 claim · $12K
  • Hurricane Chantel1 claim · $5K
32
paid claims since 1979
$1.4M
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$43K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Rockwall County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
51storm safe rooms built
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rockwall

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$310K to the City of Rockwall for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms533 households applied for aid$278K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RockwallRockwall County only

Rockwall County has had 11 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 Rockwall after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Rockwall archive →
Next door

Rockwall and its neighbors

Rockwall is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Dallas: hazard risk C+Heath: hazard risk B−Fate: hazard risk BDallasHeathFateRockwall
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
FateBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding2
RockwallB−less damage than 54%river and rain flooding32
HeathB−more damage than 55%river and rain flooding7
DallasC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding940

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Rockwall 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 Rockwall

Is Rockwall at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rockwall has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #283 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and hail (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Rockwall flood?

Flood insurance has paid 32 claims in Rockwall since 1979, $1.4M in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from March storm (2).

Is Rockwall 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 Rockwall County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rockwall?

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

By FEMA money that reached Rockwall, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2024): $310K to the City of Rockwall for repairs. By flood claims, March storm: 2 paid, $109K.

Is Rockwall at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Rockwall’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rockwall.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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