Photo: WhisperToMe at English Wikipedia · Public domainFEMA puts Southside Place’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Southside Place gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%), then hurricanes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 27 claims here since 1979.
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 Southside Place 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
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 Southside Place’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Southside Place, and Southside Place’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 16% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).
D higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Southside Place’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Southside Place: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Southside Place flood? Sometimes: 27 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Southside Place, from FEMA’s records: 35.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Allison14 claims · $594K
- Hurricane Harvey5 claims · $159K
- The Spring severe storms2 claims · $38K
Southside Place isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Harris County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Southside Place
Disasters that paid out in Southside Place itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Southside Place), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Beryl$57K to the City of Southside Place for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Harvey$40K to the City of Southside Place for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $159K
- 2008Hurricane Ike$14K to the City of Southside Place for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $46K
- 2005Hurricane Rita$3K to the City of Southside Place for repairs
Harris County has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe 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 Harris County, 2011–2011.
Old photos of Southside Place after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Southside Place archive →Southside Place and its neighbors
Southside Place is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West University Place | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 403 |
| Southside Place | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
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 Southside Place 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.
- 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 Southside Place
Is Southside Place at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Southside Place has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hurricanes (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 Southside Place flood?
Flood insurance has paid 27 claims in Southside Place since 1979, $847K in all, or 35.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Allison (14).
Is Southside Place 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 Harris County, 48% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 16.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Southside Place?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Southside Place’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 Southside Place?
By FEMA money that reached Southside Place, Hurricane Beryl (2024): $57K to the City of Southside Place for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Allison: 14 paid, $594K.
Is Southside Place at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Southside Place’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Southside Place.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Southside Place’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.