Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Sandia

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Sandia · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Sandia

Sandia isn’t graded for hazard risk: Sandia has 206 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 25 declared for Jim Wells County
By hazard

What Sandia faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

61%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

River and rain flooding

28%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Wildfire Lightning Earthquakes Cold waves top 3% Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 37% of Sandia’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Sandia flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sandia. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Sandia 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.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sandia

Disasters that paid out in Sandia itself (aid to households or repair grants to Sandia), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms53 households applied for aid$43K aid approved
  2. 2018Severe Storms and Flooding9 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  3. 2017Hurricane Harvey28 households applied for aid$32K aid approved
  4. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding44 households applied for aid$66K aid approved
  5. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding21 households applied for aid$26K aid approved
  6. 2003Hurricane Claudette22 households applied for aid$62K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding13 households applied for aid$38K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SandiaJim Wells County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Sandia after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Sandia archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Sandia faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Sandia

Is Sandia 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 Sandia?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sandia’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 Sandia?

By FEMA money that reached Sandia, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2015): 44 households applied for aid, $66K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sandia.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sandia’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.