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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Santa Maria · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Santa Maria

Santa Maria isn’t graded for hazard risk: Santa Maria has 669 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 27 declared for Cameron County
By hazard

What Santa Maria faces

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

Hurricanes

78%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

River and rain flooding

17%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Lightning top 1% Earthquakes Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves 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 28% of Santa Maria’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Santa Maria flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Santa Maria. 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

Santa Maria 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.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Santa Maria

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$605 aid approved
  3. 2010Hurricane Alex6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  4. 2008Hurricane Dolly94 households applied for aid$58K aid approved
  5. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding76 households applied for aid$151K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Santa MariaCameron County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Santa Maria archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria

Is Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria?

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

By FEMA money that reached Santa Maria, Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding (2002): 76 households applied for aid, $151K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Santa Maria.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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