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Valley Mills Texas nosig (1 of 1)Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Valley Mills · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Valley Mills faces less hazard damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Valley Mills gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2003.

River and rain flooding 66%Tornadoes 11%Wildfire 10%

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 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Texas · lower than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2003 · $13K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 17 declared for Bosque County

What stands out about Valley Mills’ natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.FEMA-funded flood-proofing1 building floodproofed with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Valley Mills 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

66%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Wildfire

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Earthquakes Cold waves top 3% Winter storms Ice storms Lightning 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 tornadoes at 25% of Valley Mills’ expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (11.4%), 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 Valley Mills’ grade

River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Valley Mills, and Valley Mills’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 10%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Valley Mills sits
Valley Mills
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Valley Mills’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding66%Tornadoes11%Wildfire10%Everything else12%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $513K a year in losses across Valley Mills: $152K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Valley Mills covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Valley Mills flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Valley Mills, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2003
20032026
1
paid claims since 2003
$13K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$13K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Bosque County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1building floodproofed
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Valley Mills

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$44K to the City of Valley Mills for repairs
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms15 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding$25K to the City of Valley Mills for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Valley MillsBosque County only

Bosque 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.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Bosque County, 2011–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Valley Mills archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Valley Mills 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 ↗
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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
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 Valley Mills

Is Valley Mills at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Valley Mills has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and tornadoes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Valley Mills flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Valley Mills since 2003, $13K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Valley Mills 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 Bosque County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Valley Mills?

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

By FEMA money that reached Valley Mills, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2024): $44K to the City of Valley Mills for repairs.

Is Valley Mills at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Valley Mills’ rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Valley Mills.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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