Photo: WhisperToMe · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Surfside Beach
Surfside Beach isn’t graded for hazard risk: Surfside Beach has 677 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1,165 claims here since 1978.
What Surfside Beach faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
River and rain flooding
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 Surfside Beach flood? Yes: 1,165 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Surfside Beach, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ike495 claims · $13.5M
- Hurricane Claudette159 claims · $1.7M
- Hurricane Alicia82 claims · $406K
Surfside Beach isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Brazoria County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Surfside Beach
Disasters that paid out in Surfside Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Surfside Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Beryl114 households applied for aid$233K aid approved$1.6M to the City of Surfside Beach for repairs64 flood claims paid for it, $1.1M
- 2021Severe Winter Storms22 households applied for aid$19K aid approved$26K to the City of Surfside Beach for repairs23 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Harvey69 households applied for aid$15K aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Hurricane Ike228 households applied for aid$302K aid approved$1.8M to the City of Surfside Beach for repairs495 flood claims paid for it, $13.5M
- 2005Hurricane Rita21 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$787K to the City of Surfside Beach for repairs30 flood claims paid for it, $562K
- 2005Hurricane Rita$8K to the City of Surfside Beach for repairs30 flood claims paid for it, $562K
Show all 7
- 2003Hurricane Claudette102 households applied for aid$300K aid approved$1.3M to the City of Surfside Beach for repairs159 flood claims paid for it, $1.7M
Brazoria County has had 28 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.
Old photos of Surfside Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Surfside Beach archive →Surfside Beach and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeport | B−less damage than 52% | hurricanes | 753 |
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 Surfside Beach faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- 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 Surfside Beach
Does Surfside Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,165 claims in Surfside Beach since 1978, $20.5M in all. 152 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (495).
Is Surfside Beach 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 Brazoria County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 22.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Surfside Beach?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Surfside Beach’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 Surfside Beach?
By FEMA money that reached Surfside Beach, Hurricane Ike (2008): 228 households applied for aid, $302K approved, and $1.8M to the City of Surfside Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 495 paid, $13.5M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Surfside Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Surfside Beach’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.