Natural hazards · Palestine

Palestine, TX natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Palestine comes from tornadoes, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1996. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Palestine?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Palestine to be higher than in 10% of U.S. communities, mostly from tornadoes and inland flooding.

Tornadoes34%Inland flooding27%Cold waves18%Strong wind6%Heat waves6%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Palestine faces

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

Tornadoes

34% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

27% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 12% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

18% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Palestine flood?

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

4paid claims since 1996

$106Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19962026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Anderson County.

Disasters that hit Palestine

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into PalestineDeclared for Anderson County only

2024

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

684 households applied for aid $3.1M aid approved $295K to the City of Palestine for repairs

2021

Severe Winter Storms

612 households applied for aid $382K aid approved

2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

186 households applied for aid $796K aid approved $388K to the City of Palestine for repairs

2011

Wildfires

2 households applied for aid $30K aid approved

2008

Hurricane Ike

$39K to the City of Palestine for repairs

2005

Hurricane Rita

2 households applied for aid $2K aid approved $37K to the City of Palestine for repairs

Anderson County has had 24 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. Palestine covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Palestine’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Palestine. 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 Palestine total about $4.2M 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.