Storms, floods and disasters in Rancho Chico
Rancho Chico isn’t graded for hazard risk: Rancho Chico has 384 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 301 claims here since 1980.
What Rancho Chico faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
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 Rancho Chico flood? Yes: 301 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rancho Chico, from FEMA’s records.
- The Heavy rains2 claims · $6K
- The Early summer storms2 claims · $10K
- Hurricane Allen1 claim · $2K
Rancho Chico isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: San Patricio County.The storms Rancho Chico remembers
None of the 27 disasters declared for San Patricio County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Rancho Chico itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 1984160 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for San Patricio County
- 1985113 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19984 flood claims paidThe year of Tx-flooding 10/18/98, declared for San Patricio County
San Patricio 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Patricio County, 2025–2025.
Old photos of Rancho Chico after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rancho Chico archive →Rancho Chico 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinton | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 304 |
| La Paloma Addition | — | 0 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 Chico faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Chico
Does Rancho Chico flood?
Flood insurance has paid 301 claims in Rancho Chico since 1980, $2.8M in all. The most claims came from Heavy rains (2).
Is Rancho Chico 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 San Patricio County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rancho Chico?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rancho Chico’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 Chico?
By flood claims, Heavy rains: 2 paid, $6K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rancho Chico.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rancho Chico’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.