Photo: Renegomezphotography · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Sabinal’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sabinal gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1997.
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 Sabinal 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
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 Sabinal’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sabinal, and Sabinal’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sabinal’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Sabinal: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sabinal flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sabinal, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sabinal isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Uvalde County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sabinal
Disasters that paid out in Sabinal itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sabinal), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Storms and Flooding$38K to the City of Sabinal for repairs
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding$65K to the City of Sabinal for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$50K to the City of Sabinal for repairs
- 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the City of Sabinal for repairs
Uvalde County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Sabinal after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sabinal archive →Get ready for what Sabinal 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.
- 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 Sabinal
Is Sabinal at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sabinal has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Sabinal flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Sabinal since 1997, $1K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sabinal 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 Uvalde County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sabinal?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sabinal’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 Sabinal?
By FEMA money that reached Sabinal, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2015): $65K to the City of Sabinal for repairs.
Is Sabinal at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Sabinal’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sabinal.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sabinal’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.