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TenahaTexasTowerPhoto: Hourick · Public domain
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Tenaha · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Tenaha than in 83% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tenaha gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then hurricanes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 50%Hurricanes 13%Strong wind 13%

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 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Texas · lower than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 20 declared for Shelby County

What stands out about Tenaha’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 83% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants2 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Tenaha 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

50%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Strong wind

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Hail Earthquakes Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Cold waves 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 heat waves at 8% of Tenaha’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Tenaha’s grade

River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tenaha, and Tenaha’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 13%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Tenaha sits
Tenaha
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding50%Hurricanes13%Strong wind13%Everything else24%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $453K a year in losses across Tenaha: $203K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Winter Storms in 2021, FEMA took 89 aid registrations from Tenaha addresses (the town has 457 homes).
Shared tract.All of Tenaha’s 989 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Joaquin city (734 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Tenaha flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Shelby County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2storm safe rooms built
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tenaha

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Beryl88 households applied for aid$107K aid approved
  2. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  3. 2021Severe Winter Storms89 households applied for aid$87K aid approved
  4. 2016Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding8 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
  5. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding4 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
  6. 2008Hurricane Ike19 households applied for aid$854 aid approved$6K to the Town of Tenaha for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2005Hurricane Rita137 households applied for aid$71K aid approved$3K to the Town of Tenaha for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TenahaShelby County only

Shelby County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Tenaha archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Tenaha 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Tenaha

Is Tenaha at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tenaha has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and hurricanes (13%). 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 Tenaha 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 Shelby County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Tenaha?

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

By FEMA money that reached Tenaha, Hurricane Beryl (2024): 88 households applied for aid, $107K approved.

Is Tenaha at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Tenaha’s rate for it is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tenaha.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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