FEMA puts Doolittle’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Doolittle gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #569 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (53%), then river and rain flooding (40%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Doolittle faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind Doolittle’s grade
Hurricanes are 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Doolittle, and Doolittle’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 40% (higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #569 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Doolittle’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Doolittle has more expected damage per building than 89% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Doolittle: $596K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Doolittle flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Doolittle. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Doolittle isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hidalgo County.The storms Doolittle remembers
None of the 26 disasters declared for Hidalgo County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Doolittle itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Hidalgo County has had 26 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.
Doolittle and its neighbors
Doolittle is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburg | C−more damage than 75% | hurricanes | 349 |
| Doolittle | C−more damage than 82% | hurricanes | 0 |
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.
Get ready for what Doolittle faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Doolittle
Is Doolittle at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Doolittle has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #569 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (53%) and river and rain flooding (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Doolittle 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 Hidalgo County, 3.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Doolittle?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Doolittle’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Doolittle at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Doolittle’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Doolittle.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Doolittle’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.