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Main street schulenburg 2012Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Schulenburg · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Schulenburg than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Schulenburg gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #88 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then hurricanes (23%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 58%Hurricanes 23%Tornadoes 11%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#88 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
A−#88 of 642
in Texas · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
58% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 18 declared for Fayette County
By hazard

What Schulenburg 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

58%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Earthquakes Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Lightning 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 cold waves at 13% of Schulenburg’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Schulenburg’s grade

River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Schulenburg, and Schulenburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 23% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Schulenburg sits
Schulenburg
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #88 of 642 in Texas; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding58%Hurricanes23%Tornadoes11%Everything else8%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Schulenburg has less expected damage per building than 86% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Schulenburg: $863K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Schulenburg’s 2,633 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 Schulenburg flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Fayette County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Schulenburg

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms6 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$6K to the City of Schulenburg for repairs
  2. 2017Hurricane Harvey104 households applied for aid$89K aid approved
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  4. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding7 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SchulenburgFayette County only

Fayette County has had 18 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Fayette County, 1999–1999.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Schulenburg archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Schulenburg 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
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 Schulenburg

Is Schulenburg at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Schulenburg has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #88 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and hurricanes (23%). 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 Schulenburg 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 Fayette County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Schulenburg?

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

By FEMA money that reached Schulenburg, Hurricane Harvey (2017): 104 households applied for aid, $89K approved.

Is Schulenburg at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Schulenburg’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Schulenburg.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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