Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Shamrock faces more hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, led by wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shamrock gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (36%), then river and rain flooding (21%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2015.
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 Shamrock’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Shamrock faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Strong wind
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 Shamrock’s grade
Wildfire is 36% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shamrock, and Shamrock’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 14%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Shamrock’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Shamrock: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shamrock flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2015
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shamrock, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Shamrock isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wheeler County.The storms Shamrock remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Wheeler County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Shamrock itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20151 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for Wheeler County
Wheeler County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Wheeler County, 2009–2009.
Old photos of Shamrock after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shamrock archive →Get ready for what Shamrock faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Shamrock
Is Shamrock at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shamrock has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (36%) and river and rain flooding (21%). 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 Shamrock flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Shamrock since 2015, $30K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Shamrock 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 Wheeler County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Shamrock?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shamrock’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Shamrock at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (36%), and Shamrock’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shamrock.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shamrock’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.