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Wharton TX Court HousePhoto: Djmaschek · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Wharton · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Wharton faces more hazard damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wharton gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #596 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (51%), then river and rain flooding (44%). Flood insurance has paid 339 claims here since 1979.

Hurricanes 51%River and rain flooding 44%Tornadoes 2%

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

more than 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#596 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
C−#596 of 642
in Texas · higher than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
51% of expected building damage
Flood claims
339
paid since 1979 · $15.7M
Flooded more than once
35
properties · 4 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
05% off
Community discount (class 9)

What stands out about Wharton’s natural hazards

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

339 paid flood claims since 1979$15.7M in all; 35 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 96% of U.S. towns.05% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Wharton residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9).Made safer with FEMA grants10 homes raised above flood level; 9 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 3 buildings retrofitted against wind; 1 storm safe room built with FEMA grants.Remembers 2017177 flood claims were paid for 2017 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Wharton faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

51%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

River and rain flooding

44%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Wildfire Lightning Winter storms Ice storms 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 20% of Wharton’s expected losses. Cold 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 Wharton’s grade

Hurricanes are 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wharton, and Wharton’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 44% (higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Wharton sits
Wharton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #596 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Wharton’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes51%River and rain flooding44%Everything else5%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Wharton has more expected damage per building than 93% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.2M a year in losses across Wharton: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, FEMA took 3,558 aid registrations from Wharton addresses (the town has 3,885 homes) and flood insurance paid 176 claims for $11.2M.
A small-area figure. Wharton covers 4 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 Wharton flood? Yes: 339 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wharton, from FEMA’s records: 87.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 2 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 7 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 3 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 4 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 3 claims1998: 11 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 1 claim2002: 44 claims2003: 3 claims2004: 26 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 3 claims2016: 20 claims2017: 177 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 31 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200220172019
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Harvey176 claims · $11.2M
  • The Spring severe storms17 claims · $576K
  • The Early summer severe storms2 claims · $28K
339
paid claims since 1979
$15.7M
paid to owners
35
homes flooded more than once
$46K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (4)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount05% off flood insurance

Wharton is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Wharton County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
10homes raised above flood level
9flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
3buildings retrofitted against wind
1storm safe room built
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wharton

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Beryl2,680 households applied for aid$3.3M aid approved$652K to the City of Wharton for repairs
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms375 households applied for aid$217K aid approved$15K to the City of Wharton for repairs
  3. 2017Hurricane Harvey3,558 households applied for aid$12.0M aid approved$1.7M to the City of Wharton for repairs176 flood claims paid for it, $11.2M
  4. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding212 households applied for aid$335K aid approved$1.3M to the City of Wharton for repairs20 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding25 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$13K to the City of Wharton for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2008Hurricane Ike$107K to the City of Wharton for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2005Hurricane Rita$50K to the City of Wharton for repairs
  2. 2005Hurricane Rita$33K to the City of Wharton for repairs
  3. 2005Hurricane Katrina Evacuation$2K to the City of Wharton for repairs
  4. 1998Tx-flooding 10/18/98$275K to the City of Wharton for repairs11 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WhartonWharton County only

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

Were you here?

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

Add to the Wharton archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Wharton faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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.
  • Wharton residents get 05% off flood insurance.
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 Wharton

Is Wharton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wharton has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #596 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (51%) and river and rain flooding (44%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Wharton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 339 claims in Wharton since 1979, $15.7M in all, or 87.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 35 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Harvey (176).

Is Wharton 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 Wharton County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 10.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Wharton?

Wharton is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Wharton?

By FEMA money that reached Wharton, Hurricane Harvey (2017): 3,558 households applied for aid, $12.0M approved, and $1.7M to the City of Wharton for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Harvey: 176 paid, $11.2M.

Is Wharton at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Wharton’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wharton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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