Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Helotes’s building-damage rate from hail is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Helotes gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #426 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then hail (16%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 2002.
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 Helotes 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
Hail
Tornadoes
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 Helotes’ grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Helotes, and Helotes’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 16%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #426 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Helotes’ residents live in 5 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, Helotes has more expected damage per building than 66% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Helotes: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Helotes flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 2002
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Helotes, from FEMA’s records: 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Erin5 claims · $87K
- The Torrential rain3 claims · $5K
- The Fall severe storms2 claims · $37K
Helotes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bexar County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Helotes
Disasters that paid out in Helotes itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Helotes), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms141 households applied for aid$56K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2007Tropical Storm Erin26 households applied for aid$76K aid approved5 flood claims paid for it, $87K
- 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the City of Helotes for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 1998Tx-flooding 10/18/98$7K to the City of Helotes for repairs
Bexar County has had 22 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Bexar County, 2006–2025.
Old photos of Helotes after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Helotes archive →Helotes and its neighbors
Helotes has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helotes | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| San Antonio | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 1,003 |
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 Helotes 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
- 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 Helotes
Is Helotes at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Helotes has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #426 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hail (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Helotes flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Helotes since 2002, $296K in all, or 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Erin (5).
Is Helotes 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 Bexar County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Helotes?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Helotes’ 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 Helotes?
By FEMA money that reached Helotes, Tropical Storm Erin (2007): 26 households applied for aid, $76K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Erin: 5 paid, $87K.
Is Helotes at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Helotes’ rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Helotes.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Helotes’ 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.