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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Wilmer · FEMA

For hail, Wilmer’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wilmer gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #280 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then hail (25%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1989.

River and rain flooding 55%Hail 25%Tornadoes 18%

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 55%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#280 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
B−#280 of 642
in Texas · lower than 55% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1989 · $40K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 22 declared for Dallas County
By hazard

What Wilmer 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

55%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

25%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Strong wind Hurricanes Cold waves Lightning Winter storms 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 heat waves at 17% of Wilmer’s expected losses. Heat 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 Wilmer’s grade

River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wilmer, and Wilmer’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 25%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Wilmer sits
Wilmer
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #280 of 642 in Texas; lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding55%Hail25%Tornadoes18%Everything else3%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Wilmer has less expected damage per building than 56% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Wilmer: $2.3M 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 220 aid registrations from Wilmer addresses (the town has 1,848 homes).
Shared tract.All of Wilmer’s 4,974 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 Wilmer flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1989

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wilmer, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 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 claims198919911993
19892026
4
paid claims since 1989
$40K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Dallas County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wilmer

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding138 households applied for aid$199K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms220 households applied for aid$188K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WilmerDallas County only

Dallas County has had 22 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 Wilmer after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Wilmer archive →
Next door

Wilmer and its neighbors

Wilmer is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Ferris: hazard risk ALancaster: hazard risk C+Hutchins: hazard risk A−FerrisLancasterHutchinsWilmer
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
FerrisAless damage than 92%river and rain flooding1
HutchinsA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding2
WilmerB−less damage than 55%river and rain flooding4
LancasterC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding117

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Wilmer 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 Wilmer

Is Wilmer at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wilmer has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #280 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and hail (25%). 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.

Does Wilmer flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Wilmer since 1989, $40K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Wilmer 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 Dallas County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Wilmer?

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

By FEMA money that reached Wilmer, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2024): 138 households applied for aid, $199K approved.

Is Wilmer at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Wilmer’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wilmer.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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