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Van Alstyne, TexasPhoto: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Van Alstyne · FEMA

FEMA puts Van Alstyne’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Van Alstyne gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #195 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 77%Hail 9%Tornadoes 6%

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 67%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#195 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
B+#195 of 642
in Texas · lower than 67% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 15 declared for Grayson County

What stands out about Van Alstyne’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 67% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants41 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Van Alstyne 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

77%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hail

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Wildfire Earthquakes Strong wind Cold waves top 1% Hurricanes Winter 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 20% of Van Alstyne’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (6.1%), 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 Van Alstyne’s grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Van Alstyne, and Van Alstyne’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Van Alstyne sits
Van Alstyne
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #195 of 642 in Texas; lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Hail9%Tornadoes6%Everything else8%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Van Alstyne has less expected damage per building than 70% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Van Alstyne: $975K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Van Alstyne’s 4,369 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Van Alstyne flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Grayson County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
41storm safe rooms built
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Van Alstyne

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms49 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding16 households applied for aid$49K aid approved$76K to the City of Van Alstyne for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$44K to the City of Van Alstyne for repairs
  4. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$86K to the City of Van Alstyne for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Van AlstyneGrayson County only

Grayson County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Van Alstyne archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Van Alstyne 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Van Alstyne

Is Van Alstyne at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Van Alstyne has lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #195 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hail (9%). 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 Van Alstyne 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 Grayson County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Van Alstyne?

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

By FEMA money that reached Van Alstyne, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2015): 16 households applied for aid, $49K approved, and $76K to the City of Van Alstyne for repairs.

Is Van Alstyne at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Van Alstyne’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Van Alstyne.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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