More hazard damage per building is expected in Scissors than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Scissors gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #535 of 642 in Texas. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (57%), then river and rain flooding (36%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Scissors 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 Scissors’ grade
Hurricanes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Scissors, and Scissors’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 36% (lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #535 of 642 in Texas; higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Scissors’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Texas town has higher expected damage than 50% of U.S. towns; within the state, Scissors has more expected damage per building than 83% of Texas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Scissors: $433K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Scissors flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Scissors. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Scissors isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hidalgo County.The storms Scissors remembers
None of the 26 disasters declared for Hidalgo County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Scissors itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Hidalgo County has had 26 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.
Scissors and its neighbors
Scissors is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donna | Cmore damage than 70% | hurricanes | 54 |
| Scissors | C−more damage than 78% | hurricanes | 0 |
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 Scissors 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 Scissors
Is Scissors at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Scissors has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #535 of 642 in Texas. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (57%) and river and rain flooding (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Scissors 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 Hidalgo County, 3.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Scissors?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Scissors’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Scissors at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Scissors’ rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Scissors.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Scissors’ 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.