FEMA Records
3
Total declarations
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
The data below is historical (NOAA Storm Events / FEMA), not a live alert. For current warnings and evacuation orders, check the National Weather Service, Ready.gov, or FEMA.gov.
Texas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Lavaca County, TX
3 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Severe Ice Storm.
- 3
- FEMA declarations
- 2
- Major disasters
- 79
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Severe Ice Storm
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Lavaca County in the top 21% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 42% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Lavaca County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Texas county average and the national county average.
- Lavaca County
- 3
- Texas county avg
- 3.3
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Lavaca County?
Lavaca County, Texas has recorded 3 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2024, of which 2 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.0 declarations per year across a 3-year record, or roughly 9% below the Texas county average of 3.3 and 20% below the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency, smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.
The dominant disaster type on record is Severe Ice Storm, with 2 of 3 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 78.9/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Low equivalent to roughly $33.8M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively High and community resilience scores Relatively High - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Cold Wave (Relatively Moderate).
NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Lavaca County at a low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps, flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management, before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
How Lavaca County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Low
vs. Texas Avg
-9%
State avg: 3.3
vs. National Avg
-20%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
1.0
Over 3 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Lavaca County
The radar plots Lavaca County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
48285
TX state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 3 FEMA disaster declarations in Lavaca County by incident type.
Severe Ice Storm 2
Hurricane 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 2 66.7%
of all 3 declarations
Emergency - 1 33.3%
of all 3 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Lavaca County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 3 FEMA disaster declarations for Lavaca County, Texas.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4798 | HURRICANE BERYL | DR | Hurricane | 2024-07-09 |
| 4586 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-19 |
| 3554 | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM | Severe Ice Storm | 2021-02-14 |
Storm Events in Texas
NOAA severe weather data for Texas (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 15,525 | 0 | 20 | $7.4B |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 11,498 | 43 | 156 | $400.2M |
| Drought | 7,643 | 0 | 0 | $86.0K |
| Flash Flood | 5,352 | 483 | 24 | $48.0B |
| Heat | 4,426 | 121 | 423 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Lavaca County.
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 78.9/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$33.8M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively High
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Lavaca County.
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Wildfire Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Earthquake Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in Texas
Other Texas counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Lavaca County, Texas had?
Lavaca County, Texas has received 3 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2024. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Lavaca County?
The most common disaster type in Lavaca County is Severe Ice Storm, with 2 declarations. Other disaster types include Hurricane (1).
How does Lavaca County's disaster risk compare to the Texas average?
Lavaca County has 3 disaster declarations, which is 9% lower than the Texas county average of 3.3 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 20% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Lavaca County received?
Lavaca County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 67% of all 3 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Texas?
The most common storm types in Texas include Hail (15,525 events), Thunderstorm Wind (11,498 events), Drought (7,643 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Lavaca County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Lavaca County was 2021, with 2 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Lavaca County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Lavaca County has a low disaster risk level with 3 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Lavaca County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Lavaca County, Texas has an overall risk score of 78.9 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $33.8M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Lavaca County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Lavaca County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Relatively Moderate) and Lightning (Relatively Moderate). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Lavaca County
Lavaca County, TX has 3 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a low historical disaster load, 9% below the Texas county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (2 of 3) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Texas overview
- See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
- Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 - all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) - per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database - state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.