FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in La Paloma than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Paloma gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #557 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (67%), then river and rain flooding (28%). 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 La Paloma 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 La Paloma’s grade
Hurricanes are 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in La Paloma, and La Paloma’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 28% (lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #557 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
La Paloma’s residents live in 2 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, La Paloma has more expected damage per building than 87% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $912K a year in losses across La Paloma: $515K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does La Paloma flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in La Paloma. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
La Paloma 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.The storms La Paloma remembers
None of the 27 disasters declared for Cameron County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching La Paloma itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Cameron 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.
La Paloma and its neighbors
La Paloma is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Benito | C−more damage than 80% | hurricanes | 229 |
| La Paloma | C−more damage than 80% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Palmer | C−more damage than 81% | hurricanes | — |
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 La Paloma 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 La Paloma
Is La Paloma at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Paloma has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #557 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (67%) and river and rain flooding (28%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is La Paloma 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, 37% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in La Paloma?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for La Paloma’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is La Paloma at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and La Paloma’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in La Paloma.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where La Paloma’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.