Storms, floods and disasters in Olmito
Olmito isn’t graded for hazard risk: Olmito has 887 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Olmito 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 Olmito flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Olmito. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Olmito 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Olmito
Disasters that paid out in Olmito itself (aid to households or repair grants to Olmito), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms and Flooding12 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
- 2021Severe Winter Storms11 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$545 aid approved
- 2010Hurricane Alex4 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Dolly77 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
- 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
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.
Old photos of Olmito after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Olmito archive →Olmito and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Viejo | C−more damage than 85% | hurricanes | 7 |
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 Olmito 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 Olmito
Is Olmito 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 Olmito?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Olmito’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 Olmito?
By FEMA money that reached Olmito, Hurricane Dolly (2008): 77 households applied for aid, $30K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Olmito.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Olmito’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.