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San Antonio FL city hall04Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in San Antonio · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, San Antonio faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Antonio gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (56%), then river and rain flooding (33%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2024.

Hurricanes 56%River and rain flooding 33%Tornadoes 7%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 59%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Florida · higher than 59% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2024 · $79K
Disasters paid out here
9
of 33 declared for Pasco County
By hazard

What San Antonio faces

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

Hurricanes

56%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

33%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Strong wind Earthquakes Cold waves top 5% Lightning Hail Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 15% of San Antonio’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (6.8%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

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

What’s behind San Antonio’s grade

Hurricanes are 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in San Antonio, and San Antonio’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where San Antonio sits
San Antonio
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of San Antonio’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes56%River and rain flooding33%Tornadoes7%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $563K a year in losses across San Antonio: $461K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Milton in 2024, FEMA took 523 aid registrations from San Antonio addresses (the town has 542 homes) and flood insurance paid 2 claims for $79K.
Shared tract.All of San Antonio’s 1,297 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with St. Leo town (2,362 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does San Antonio flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2024

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in San Antonio, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2024: 2 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2024
20242026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Milton2 claims · $79K
2
paid claims since 2024
$79K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$40K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

San Antonio isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Pasco County.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to San Antonio

Disasters that paid out in San Antonio itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of San Antonio), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton523 households applied for aid$267K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $79K
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene98 households applied for aid$39K aid approved
  3. 2023Hurricane Idalia8 households applied for aid$700 aid approved
  4. 2022Hurricane Ian33 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  5. 2017Hurricane Irma238 households applied for aid$68K aid approved
  6. 2012Tropical Storm Debby7 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2004Hurricane Jeanne36 households applied for aid$39K aid approved
  2. 2004Hurricane Frances30 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
  3. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in San AntonioPasco County only

Pasco County has had 33 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pasco County, 2000–2000.

Were you here?

Old photos of San Antonio after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the San Antonio archive →
Next door

San Antonio and its neighbors

San Antonio is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

St. Leo: hazard risk C+Pasadena Hills: hazard risk C−St. LeoPasadena HillsSan Antonio
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
St. LeoC+more damage than 59%hurricanes—
San AntonioC+more damage than 59%hurricanes2
Pasadena HillsC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding22

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what San Antonio faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in San Antonio

Is San Antonio at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Antonio has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (56%) and river and rain flooding (33%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does San Antonio flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in San Antonio since 2024, $79K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Milton (2).

Is San Antonio in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Pasco County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 10.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in San Antonio?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for San Antonio’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in San Antonio?

By FEMA money that reached San Antonio, Hurricane Milton (2024): 523 households applied for aid, $267K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Milton: 2 paid, $79K.

Is San Antonio at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and San Antonio’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in San Antonio.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where San Antonio’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.