On FEMA’s figures, Palm Valley faces more hazard damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palm Valley gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (67%), then river and rain flooding (28%). Flood insurance has paid 224 claims here since 1991.
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 stands out about Palm Valley’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Palm Valley 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 Palm Valley’s grade
Hurricanes are 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Palm Valley, and Palm Valley’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 80% of U.S. census tracts).
C− higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Palm Valley’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $478K a year in losses across Palm Valley: $310K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Palm Valley flood? Yes: 224 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Palm Valley, from FEMA’s records: 263.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Dolly28 claims · $862K
- Hurricane Hanna1 claim · $4K
Palm Valley 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Palm Valley
Disasters that paid out in Palm Valley itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Palm Valley), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$42K aid approved91 flood claims paid that year
- 2019Severe Storms and Flooding20 households applied for aid$122K aid approved99 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Hurricane Dolly$50K to the City of Palm Valley for repairs28 flood claims paid for it, $862K
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 Palm Valley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Palm Valley archive →Palm Valley and its neighbors
Palm Valley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Valley | C−more damage than 79% | hurricanes | 224 |
| Harlingen | C−more damage than 79% | hurricanes | 1,539 |
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 Palm Valley 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 Palm Valley
Is Palm Valley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palm Valley has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (67%) 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 Palm Valley flood?
Flood insurance has paid 224 claims in Palm Valley since 1991, $22.6M in all, or 263.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 50 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Dolly (28).
Is Palm Valley 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 Palm Valley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Palm Valley’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 Palm Valley?
By FEMA money that reached Palm Valley, Severe Storms and Flooding (2019): 20 households applied for aid, $122K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Dolly: 28 paid, $862K.
Is Palm Valley at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Palm Valley’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Palm Valley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Palm Valley’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.