Briarcliff’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Briarcliff comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1998. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Briarcliff’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Briarcliff?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 75% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 1,641 of the 1,859 Texas towns we cover.
Briarcliff covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
What Briarcliff faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Does Briarcliff flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Briarcliff, from FEMA’s records.
- The Fall 2018 Texas Flooding1 claim · $2K
Briarcliff isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Travis County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Briarcliff
Disasters that paid out in Briarcliff itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Briarcliff) and its biggest flood years.
- 2023Severe Winter Storm$26K to the Village of Briarcliff for repairs
- 2021Severe Winter Storms1 household applied for aid
Travis County has had 30 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.
Old photos of Briarcliff after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Briarcliff archive →Get ready for what Briarcliff actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in August–October
The month each of Travis County’s 30 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Briarcliff’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Briarcliff.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Briarcliff, expected losses total about $3.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Briarcliff.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.