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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in La Villa · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in La Villa than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Villa gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #533 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (66%), then river and rain flooding (28%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2008.

Hurricanes 66%River and rain flooding 28%Hail 4%

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

more than 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#533 of 642 in Texas
Hazard risk
C−#533 of 642
in Texas · higher than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2008 · $215K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 26 declared for Hidalgo County
By hazard

What La Villa faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

66%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

River and rain flooding

28%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Earthquakes Cold waves Lightning Wildfire Winter storms 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 56% of La Villa’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 Villa’s grade

Hurricanes are 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in La Villa, and La Villa’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 28% (lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts).

Where La Villa sits
La Villa
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #533 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes66%River and rain flooding28%Hail4%Everything else3%

The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, La Villa has more expected damage per building than 83% of Texas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across La Villa: $517K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms and Flooding in 2019, FEMA took 127 aid registrations from La Villa addresses (the town has 650 homes).
Shared tract.All of La Villa’s 2,804 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Monte Alto CDP (1,930 residents) and Laguna Seca CDP (232 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 Villa flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in La Villa, from FEMA’s records: 10.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 3 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims200820192020
20082026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Hanna3 claims · $85K
  • Hurricane Dolly1 claim · $2K
7
paid claims since 2008
$215K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$31K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

La Villa 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.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to La Villa

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms and Flooding47 households applied for aid$203K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms14 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  3. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding127 households applied for aid$245K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2018Severe Storms and Flooding63 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
  5. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding55 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$17K to the City of La Villa for repairs
  6. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding95 households applied for aid$33K aid approved
Show all 10
  1. 2010Hurricane Alex68 households applied for aid$177K aid approved
  2. 2008Hurricane Dolly322 households applied for aid$307K aid approved$74K to the City of La Villa for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
  3. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding173 households applied for aid$285K aid approved
  4. 1999Hurricane Bret$4K to the City of La Villa for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in La VillaHidalgo County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the La Villa archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what La Villa faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Villa

Is La Villa at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Villa has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #533 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (66%) and river and rain flooding (28%). 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 Villa flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in La Villa since 2008, $215K in all, or 10.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Hanna (3).

Is La Villa 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 La Villa?

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

By FEMA money that reached La Villa, Hurricane Dolly (2008): 322 households applied for aid, $307K approved, and $74K to the City of La Villa for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Hanna: 3 paid, $85K.

Is La Villa at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and La Villa’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in La Villa.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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