Natural hazards · Early

Early, TX natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Early comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1988. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Early?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Early to be higher than in 13% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding43%Tornadoes16%Cold waves12%Hail10%Strong wind6%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Early faces

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

Inland flooding

43% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 9% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 63 years in the area

Cold waves

12% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Early flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Early, from FEMA’s records.

10paid claims since 1988

$162Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

19882026

Biggest named events

Torrential rain: 2 claims, $43K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Early isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Brown County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

3storm safe rooms built

Disasters that hit Early

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Early itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Early.

Brought FEMA money into EarlyDeclared for Brown County only

2021

Severe Winter Storms

34 households applied for aid $27K aid approved

2007

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $1K aid approved

Brown County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’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 here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Early is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Early’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Early. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.