FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Wheeler than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wheeler gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (52%), then river and rain flooding (15%). 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 Wheeler’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Wheeler faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Strong wind
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 Wheeler’s grade
Wildfire is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wheeler, and Wheeler’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 10%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Wheeler’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Wheeler: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wheeler flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Wheeler. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Wheeler isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Wheeler County.The storms Wheeler remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Wheeler County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wheeler itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Wheeler County has had 8 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Wheeler County, 2009–2009.
Get ready for what Wheeler faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Wheeler
Is Wheeler at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wheeler has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (52%) and river and rain flooding (15%). 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 Wheeler 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 Wheeler County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Wheeler?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wheeler’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Wheeler at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Wheeler’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wheeler.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wheeler’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.