Tye’s building-damage rate from hail is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tye gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hail (58%), then river and rain flooding (30%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Tye’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Tye faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hail
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.
What’s behind Tye’s grade
Hail is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tye, and Tye’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 5%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tye’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $543K a year in losses across Tye: $446K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tye flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Tye. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Tye isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Taylor County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tye
Disasters that paid out in Tye itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Tye), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2007Tropical Storm Erin1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Taylor County has had 14 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.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Taylor County, 2009–2022.
Old photos of Tye after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tye archive →Tye and its neighbors
Tye has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tye | Bless damage than 58% | hail | 0 |
| Abilene | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 686 |
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 Tye faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Tye
Is Tye at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tye has lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hail (58%) and river and rain flooding (30%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Tye 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 Taylor County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tye?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tye’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 Tye?
By FEMA money that reached Tye, Tropical Storm Erin (2007): 1 households applied for aid, $3K approved.
Is Tye at risk from hail?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Tye’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tye.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tye’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.