Photo: Dougtone · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Driftwood
Driftwood isn’t graded for hazard risk: Driftwood has 45 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1982.
What Driftwood faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
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.
Does Driftwood flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Driftwood, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Ivan1 claim · $4K
Driftwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cameron County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Driftwood
Disasters that paid out in Driftwood itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Driftwood), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan31 households applied for aid$139K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $4K
Cameron County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Driftwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Driftwood archive →Get ready for what Driftwood faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Driftwood
Does Driftwood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Driftwood since 1982, $8K in all. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (1).
Is Driftwood 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 Cameron County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Driftwood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Driftwood’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 Driftwood?
By FEMA money that reached Driftwood, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 31 households applied for aid, $139K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 1 paid, $4K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Driftwood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Driftwood’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.