Storms, floods and disasters in Smiley
Smiley isn’t graded for hazard risk: Smiley has 543 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Smiley 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
Hurricanes
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.
Does Smiley flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Smiley. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Smiley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Gonzales County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Smiley
Disasters that paid out in Smiley itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Smiley), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms6 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Harvey65 households applied for aid$14K aid approved$10K to the City of Smiley for repairs
Gonzales County has had 17 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.
Old photos of Smiley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Smiley archive →Get ready for what Smiley 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.
- 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.
- 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 Smiley
Is Smiley 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 Gonzales County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Smiley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Smiley’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 Smiley?
By FEMA money that reached Smiley, Hurricane Harvey (2017): 65 households applied for aid, $14K approved, and $10K to the City of Smiley for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Smiley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Smiley’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.