FEMA puts Rancho Alegre’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rancho Alegre gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (57%), then river and rain flooding (34%). Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 1980.
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 Rancho Alegre 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 Rancho Alegre’s grade
Hurricanes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rancho Alegre, and Rancho Alegre’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 34% (lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts).
C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Rancho Alegre’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Rancho Alegre: $514K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rancho Alegre flood? Sometimes: 25 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rancho Alegre, from FEMA’s records: 49.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Torrential rain2 claims · $6K
- Hurricane Allen2 claims · $5K
Rancho Alegre isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jim Wells County.The storms Rancho Alegre remembers
None of the 25 disasters declared for Jim Wells County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Rancho Alegre itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20075 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Dean, declared for Jim Wells County
- 20014 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20024 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Jim Wells County
Jim Wells County has had 25 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 Rancho Alegre after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rancho Alegre archive →Rancho Alegre and its neighbors
Rancho Alegre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Alegre | Cmore damage than 74% | hurricanes | 25 |
| Alice | C−more damage than 76% | hurricanes | 76 |
| Alice Acres | — | 819 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Rancho Alegre 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 Rancho Alegre
Is Rancho Alegre at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rancho Alegre has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (57%) and river and rain flooding (34%). 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 Rancho Alegre flood?
Flood insurance has paid 25 claims in Rancho Alegre since 1980, $216K in all, or 49.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Torrential rain (2).
Is Rancho Alegre 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 Jim Wells County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rancho Alegre?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rancho Alegre’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 Rancho Alegre?
By flood claims, Torrential rain: 2 paid, $6K.
Is Rancho Alegre at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Rancho Alegre’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rancho Alegre.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rancho Alegre’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.