Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to La Grulla

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in La Grulla · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, La Grulla faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Grulla gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2010.

River and rain flooding 83%Hurricanes 8%Wildfire 3%

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

less than 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Texas · lower than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
83% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2010 · $31K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 17 declared for Starr County
By hazard

What La Grulla 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

83%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Hail Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Lightning top 5% Earthquakes Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 62% of La Grulla’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 La Grulla’s grade

River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in La Grulla, and La Grulla’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where La Grulla sits
La Grulla
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding83%Hurricanes8%Wildfire3%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $552K a year in losses across La Grulla: $153K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of La Grulla’s 1,222 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with East Alto Bonito CDP (905 residents) and West Alto Bonito CDP (615 residents) and Nina CDP (124 residents) and Villarreal CDP (112 residents) and Buena Vista CDP (93 residents) and Longoria CDP (81 residents) and Pablo Pena CDP (80 residents) and Rivereno CDP (62 residents) and Narciso Pena CDP (32 residents) and Rafael Pena CDP (16 residents) and Quesada CDP (7 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 La Grulla flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2010

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in La Grulla, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2010
20102026
1
paid claims since 2010
$31K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$31K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Starr County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to La Grulla

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  2. 2010Hurricane Alex14 households applied for aid$79K aid approved$106K to the City of La Grulla for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2008Hurricane Dolly$32K to the City of La Grulla for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$101K to the City of La Grulla for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in La GrullaStarr County only

Starr County has had 17 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the La Grulla archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what La Grulla faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 La Grulla

Is La Grulla at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Grulla has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (8%). 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 La Grulla flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in La Grulla since 2010, $31K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is La Grulla 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 Starr County, 4% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in La Grulla?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for La Grulla’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 La Grulla?

By FEMA money that reached La Grulla, Hurricane Alex (2010): 14 households applied for aid, $79K approved, and $106K to the City of La Grulla for repairs.

Is La Grulla at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and La Grulla’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in La Grulla.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where La Grulla’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.