Natural hazards · Highlands

Highlands, TX natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Highlands comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 2008. 10 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Highlands?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Highlands to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding35%Tornadoes26%Hurricanes23%Cold waves8%Heat waves6%Everything else2%

By hazard

What Highlands faces

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

Inland flooding

35% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 57% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

26% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

23% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 42% of U.S. places

Recorded about 16 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Highlands flood?

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

13paid claims since 2008

$571Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20082026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Harvey: 6 claims, $359K
Tropical Storm Imelda: 2 claims, $122K
Hurricane Ike: 1 claim, $3K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Harris County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

20flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Highlands

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into HighlandsDeclared for Harris County only

2024

Hurricane Beryl

1,849 households applied for aid $2.4M aid approved

2024

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding

399 households applied for aid $495K aid approved

2021

Severe Winter Storms

364 households applied for aid $257K aid approved

2019

Tropical Storm Imelda

40 households applied for aid $81K aid approved

2017

Hurricane Harvey

1,214 households applied for aid $1.8M aid approved

2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

44 households applied for aid $81K aid approved

2015

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding

26 households applied for aid $27K aid approved

2008

Hurricane Ike

1,720 households applied for aid $864K aid approved

2005

Hurricane Rita

1,138 households applied for aid $450K aid approved

2002

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $17K aid approved

Harris County has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

Around Highlands

Highlands and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Channelviewmostly inland floodingHigh

Baytownmostly inland floodingHigh

Highlandsmostly inland floodingHigh

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. Highlands covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

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

FEMA’s expected losses across Highlands total about $3.4M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.