Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5Storms, floods and disasters in Middlebourne
Middlebourne isn’t graded for hazard risk: Middlebourne has 796 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1985.
What Middlebourne 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
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.
Does Middlebourne flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Middlebourne, from FEMA’s records.
Middlebourne isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tyler County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Middlebourne
Disasters that paid out in Middlebourne itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Middlebourne), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$5K to the Town of Middlebourne for repairs
- 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds27 households applied for aid$13K aid approved$2K to the Town of Middlebourne for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, and4 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides3 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2000Flooding, Severe Storms, and Landslides$4K to the Town of Middlebourne for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Tyler County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Middlebourne after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Middlebourne archive →Get ready for what Middlebourne faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Middlebourne
Does Middlebourne flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Middlebourne since 1985, $53K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Middlebourne 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 Tyler County, 4% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Middlebourne?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Middlebourne’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 Middlebourne?
By FEMA money that reached Middlebourne, Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds (2012): 27 households applied for aid, $13K approved, and $2K to the Town of Middlebourne for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Middlebourne.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Middlebourne’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.