More hazard damage per building is expected in Roscoe than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Roscoe gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then wildfire (20%). Flood insurance has paid 45 claims here since 1980.
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 stands out about Roscoe’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Roscoe 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
Wildfire
Hail
Tornadoes
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 Roscoe’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Roscoe, and Roscoe’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 20%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Roscoe’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Roscoe: $662K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Roscoe flood? Sometimes: 45 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Roscoe, from FEMA’s records: 73.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Erin10 claims · $190K
Roscoe isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nolan County.The storms Roscoe remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Nolan County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Roscoe itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201813 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Nolan County
- 198010 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Danielle, declared for Nolan County
- 200710 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Nolan County has had 13 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 Nolan County, 2011–2011.
Old photos of Roscoe after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Roscoe archive →Get ready for what Roscoe faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Roscoe
Is Roscoe at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Roscoe has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and wildfire (20%). 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 Roscoe flood?
Flood insurance has paid 45 claims in Roscoe since 1980, $1.1M in all, or 73.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Erin (10).
Is Roscoe 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 Nolan County, 1.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Roscoe?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Roscoe’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 Roscoe?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Erin: 10 paid, $190K.
Is Roscoe at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Roscoe’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Roscoe.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Roscoe’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.