Storms, floods and disasters in Driscoll
Driscoll isn’t graded for hazard risk: Driscoll has 511 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1980.
What Driscoll 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.
Does Driscoll flood? Sometimes: 21 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Driscoll, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Allen7 claims · $62K
Driscoll isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Nueces County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Driscoll
Disasters that paid out in Driscoll itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Driscoll), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms27 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
- 2017Hurricane Harvey52 households applied for aid$28K aid approved
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding28 households applied for aid$15K aid approved$86K to the City of Driscoll for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding28 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
- 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding37 households applied for aid$94K aid approved
- 1999Hurricane Bret$13K to the City of Driscoll for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
Show all 7
- 1998Tx-flooding 10/18/98$22K to the City of Driscoll for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Nueces County has had 27 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.
Old photos of Driscoll after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Driscoll archive →Get ready for what Driscoll 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 Driscoll
Does Driscoll flood?
Flood insurance has paid 21 claims in Driscoll since 1980, $155K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Allen (7).
Is Driscoll 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 Nueces County, 17.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Driscoll?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Driscoll’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 Driscoll?
By FEMA money that reached Driscoll, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2015): 28 households applied for aid, $15K approved, and $86K to the City of Driscoll for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Allen: 7 paid, $62K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Driscoll.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Driscoll’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.