FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Scenic Oaks than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Scenic Oaks gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #518 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then hail (16%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1987.
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 Scenic Oaks 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
Hail
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 Scenic Oaks’ grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Scenic Oaks, and Scenic Oaks’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 16%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #518 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Scenic Oaks’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Scenic Oaks has more expected damage per building than 81% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Scenic Oaks: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Scenic Oaks flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Scenic Oaks, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Torrential rain5 claims · $72K
Scenic Oaks isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bexar County.The storms Scenic Oaks remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Bexar County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Scenic Oaks itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20025 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Bexar County
- 19982 flood claims paidThe year of Tx-flooding 10/18/98, declared for Bexar County
- 19871 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Bexar County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Bexar County, 2006–2025.
Old photos of Scenic Oaks after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Scenic Oaks archive →Scenic Oaks and its neighbors
Scenic Oaks is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 1,003 |
| Cross Mountain | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Scenic Oaks | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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.
Get ready for what Scenic Oaks 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.
- 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.
- 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 Scenic Oaks
Is Scenic Oaks at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Scenic Oaks has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #518 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hail (16%). 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 Scenic Oaks flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Scenic Oaks since 1987, $133K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Torrential rain (5).
Is Scenic Oaks 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 Bexar County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Scenic Oaks?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Scenic Oaks’ 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 Scenic Oaks?
By flood claims, Torrential rain: 5 paid, $72K.
Is Scenic Oaks at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Scenic Oaks’ rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Scenic Oaks.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Scenic Oaks’ 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.