Natural hazards · Liberty

Liberty, TX natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Liberty comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 468 claims here since 1979. 14 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Liberty?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Liberty to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding28%Hurricanes27%Tornadoes26%Cold waves7%Lightning5%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Liberty faces

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

Inland flooding

28% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 19% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

27% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Tornadoes

26% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 19 years in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lightning

5% of expected damage

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

Lower here

Coastal floodingHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Liberty flood?

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

468paid claims since 1979

$21.4Mpaid to owners

67homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Tropical Storm Imelda: 90 claims, $7.2M
Hurricane Harvey: 52 claims, $4.4M
Fall severe storms: 29 claims, $1.3M

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 2 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (32) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Liberty County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

98flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

2storm safe rooms built

Disasters that hit Liberty

14 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into LibertyDeclared for Liberty County only

2024

Hurricane Beryl

1,404 households applied for aid $1.2M aid approved $424K to the City of Liberty for repairs

2024

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

584 households applied for aid $2.2M aid approved $378K to the City of Liberty for repairs

2021

Severe Winter Storms

255 households applied for aid $187K aid approved

2019

Tropical Storm Imelda

496 households applied for aid $1.3M aid approved

2017

Hurricane Harvey

2,125 households applied for aid $4.8M aid approved $666K to the City of Liberty for repairs

2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

157 households applied for aid $81K aid approved $1.1M to the City of Liberty for repairs

2015

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding

491 households applied for aid $750K aid approved $48K to the City of Liberty for repairs

2008

Hurricane Ike

3,018 households applied for aid $3.4M aid approved $7.1M to the City of Liberty for repairs

2007

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

8 households applied for aid $1K aid approved

2005

Hurricane Rita

5,473 households applied for aid $6.7M aid approved $1.7M to the City of Liberty for repairs

2005

Hurricane Katrina Evacuation

$1K to the City of Liberty for repairs

2002

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding

35 households applied for aid $100K aid approved

2001

Tx-Tropical Storm Allison-06-06-2001

$5K to the City of Liberty for repairs

1998

Tx-Flooding 10/18/98

$9K to the City of Liberty for repairs

Liberty County has had 31 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

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. Liberty 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 Liberty’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Liberty. 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.