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Waskom TX Volunteer Fire Department IMG 0428Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Waskom · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Waskom than in 73% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waskom gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%), then tornadoes (19%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 45%Tornadoes 19%Ice storms 17%

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 73%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 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
45% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 21 declared for Harrison County
By hazard

What Waskom 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

45%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Lightning top 5% 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 cold waves at 18% of Waskom’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Waskom’s grade

River and rain flooding is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Waskom, and Waskom’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Waskom sits
Waskom
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding45%Tornadoes19%Ice storms17%Everything else18%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $753K a year in losses across Waskom: $364K 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 106 aid registrations from Waskom addresses (the town has 838 homes).
Shared tract.All of Waskom’s 1,910 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 Waskom flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Waskom. 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

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

Insurance rates: Harrison County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Waskom

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms106 households applied for aid$62K aid approved$8K to the City of Waskom for repairs
  3. 2016Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  4. 2011Wildfires5 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
  5. 2008Hurricane Ike17 households applied for aid$751 aid approved
  6. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$13K to the City of Waskom for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WaskomHarrison County only

Harrison County has had 21 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 Waskom after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Waskom archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Waskom 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 ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
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 Waskom

Is Waskom at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waskom has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%) and tornadoes (19%). 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 Waskom 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 Harrison County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Waskom?

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

By FEMA money that reached Waskom, Severe Winter Storms (2021): 106 households applied for aid, $62K approved, and $8K to the City of Waskom for repairs.

Is Waskom at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Waskom’s rate for it is lower than 88% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Waskom.

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