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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Runaway Bay · FEMA

Runaway Bay’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Runaway Bay gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then wildfire (18%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1991.

River and rain flooding 64%Wildfire 18%Tornadoes 9%

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 60%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 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1991 · $16K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 16 declared for Wise County
By hazard

What Runaway Bay 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 · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 10 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Cold waves top 2% Lightning Hurricanes Winter storms 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 heat waves at 8% of Runaway Bay’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Runaway Bay’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Runaway Bay, and Runaway Bay’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 18%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Runaway Bay sits
Runaway Bay
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Wildfire18%Tornadoes9%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $558K a year in losses across Runaway Bay: $426K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Runaway Bay’s 1,546 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 Runaway Bay flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1991

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Runaway Bay, from FEMA’s records: 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1991: 1 claim1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19912004
19912026
3
paid claims since 1991
$16K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Wise County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Runaway Bay

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

  1. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding17 households applied for aid$75K aid approved$194K to the City of Runaway Bay for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Runaway BayWise County only

Wise County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical 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 Wise County, 2000–2000.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Runaway Bay archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Runaway Bay 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Runaway Bay

Is Runaway Bay at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Runaway Bay has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and wildfire (18%). 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 Runaway Bay flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Runaway Bay since 1991, $16K in all, or 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Runaway Bay 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 Wise County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Runaway Bay?

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

By FEMA money that reached Runaway Bay, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2015): 17 households applied for aid, $75K approved, and $194K to the City of Runaway Bay for repairs.

Is Runaway Bay at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Runaway Bay’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Runaway Bay.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Runaway Bay’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.