FEMA Records
29
High volume
Texas · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Willacy County, TX
29 FEMA disaster declarations (1967-2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 29
- FEMA declarations
- 18
- Major disasters
- 77
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Willacy County. Its 29 FEMA declarations are 39% above the Texas county mean and exceed the count for 85% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 23%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 23%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Low
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 29
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 522
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records; an EM authorizes a narrower set of federal assistance than a DR.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 48489 · Willacy County 29 declarations · rank 461/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-LOW · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 29
- MAJOR-MID 62%
- RANK-MID #461
- PHOTO-FINISH Bath
- NRI-LOW 77
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Hurricane
- VS-ST-ABOVE +39%
Nearest declaration peer: Bath, KY (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · Texas state profile
Willacy County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Willacy County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Bath · near 29
Bath · near
29 declarations
- Lenoir · near 29
Lenoir · near
29 declarations
- Walthall · near 29
Walthall · near
29 declarations
- Willacy · this county 29
Willacy · this county
29 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Willacy County carries 29 FEMA declaration records, ranked 461 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Willacy County ranks in the national declaration registry
Willacy County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Willacy County
29 Top 15% higher than 85% of 3,266 counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-25
Willacy County's FEMA Risk Index score
What does Willacy County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 522 claims and $5.0M in payments. PlainHazard labels 500 or more claims a heavy registry record; that is a reporting bucket, not an official FEMA risk grade. The average paid claim was $9.6K. NFIP totals exclude uninsured flood losses and do not measure how many properties currently carry a policy.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Willacy County's 29 federal records stand 39% above the Texas county mean of 20.9. That comparison describes how often federal action was recorded, including any Major Disaster, Emergency, and Fire Management entries shown on this page; it does not convert the count into future probability.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 77.5/100 (Relatively Low). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Low (roughly $21.4M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very High and community resilience Very Low, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Cold Wave stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 3 times per year here, based on 45 historical events on record.
72 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Willacy County, TX · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite from FEMA declaration history only on the county surface (this DB has no county-level NOAA damage row) . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) High
21/30
29 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
17/25
29 declarations (1.4x state county average of 21)
Major Disaster Share High
16/25
18 of 29 declarations are major disasters (62%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
18/20
7 different disaster types declared in Willacy County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Willacy County
How to read this radar
Each axis: NRI risk rating (Very Low-Very High) on a 0-100 scale. Rounder = broad exposure; spiky = one or two hazards dominate.
Major Disaster share
62%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
77
Relatively Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Willacy County?
FEMA's National Risk Index models a historical event count and an annualized frequency for each hazard type. Most hazards are expressed as modeled occurrences per year; FEMA expresses drought and heat-wave frequency as event-days per year. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | an average of 3 times per year |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 7 years |
| Drought | Relatively High | 78 modeled event-days per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 36 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 7.6 modeled event-days per year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | roughly once every 5 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | an average of 3.2 times per year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | an average of 1.3 times per year |
| Wildfire | Very Low | roughly once every 582 years |
| Tornado | Very Low | roughly once every 8 years |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | roughly once every 2 years |
| Earthquake | Very Low | roughly once every 5,236 years |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 18 years |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | roughly once every 2 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 15
Flood 3
Severe Storm 3
Severe Ice Storm 2
Biological 2
Fire 2
Freezing 2
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Willacy County's federal record, 52% of its declarations. Atlantic tropical systems run on a defined season, 1 June to 30 November, with most activity concentrated between August and October; Pacific and territorial basins run on their own calendars. A single named storm routinely produces one declaration number covering a long corridor of counties at once, well inland as well as on the coast, which is why an affected county's count can jump by several in one year without several separate events having occurred.
One practical distinction matters when reading these records: a tropical declaration usually bundles wind, storm surge and inland rainfall flooding under a single incident, but the insurance behind them is split. Wind damage falls to property insurers, while flood and surge damage is covered only under a separate National Flood Insurance Program policy. That is why a county can show heavy declaration activity and a comparatively small NFIP claims record, or the reverse.
Declaration counts describe past federal action. They are a record of what was declared, not a forecast of future hazard probability.
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 18 62.1%
of all 29 declarations
Emergency - 11 37.9%
of all 29 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 4 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 3 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 1 | |
Show 4 earlier declaration years
| 1984 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 1 | |
| 1971 | 1 | |
| 1967 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 29 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 29 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4871 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2025-05-21 |
| 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 |
| 3540 | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM | Hurricane | 2020-08-24 |
| 3530 | HURRICANE HANNA | EM | Hurricane | 2020-07-26 |
| 4485 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-25 |
| 3458 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4454 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2019-07-17 |
| 4245 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2015-11-25 |
| 1931 | HURRICANE ALEX | DR | Hurricane | 2010-08-03 |
| 3313 | TROPICAL STORM ALEX | EM | Hurricane | 2010-06-29 |
| 3294 | HURRICANE IKE | EM | Hurricane | 2008-09-10 |
| 3290 | HURRICANE GUSTAV | EM | Hurricane | 2008-08-29 |
| 1780 | HURRICANE DOLLY | DR | Hurricane | 2008-07-24 |
| 3284 | WILDFIRES | EM | Fire | 2008-03-14 |
| 3277 | HURRICANE DEAN | EM | Hurricane | 2007-08-18 |
| 1624 | EXTREME WILDFIRE THREAT | DR | Fire | 2006-01-11 |
| 1606 | HURRICANE RITA | DR | Hurricane | 2005-09-24 |
| 3261 | HURRICANE RITA | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-21 |
Show 9 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3216 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-02 |
| 1287 | HURRICANE BRET | DR | Hurricane | 1999-08-22 |
| 1239 | TROPICAL STORM CHARLEY | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-08-26 |
| 900 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1991-04-12 |
| 850 | SEVERE FREEZE | DR | Freezing | 1990-01-09 |
| 696 | SEVERE FREEZING WEATHER | DR | Freezing | 1984-01-07 |
| 627 | HURRICANE ALLEN | DR | Hurricane | 1980-08-11 |
| 313 | HEAVY RAINS, HIGH WINDS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1971-09-18 |
| 232 | HURRICANE BEULAH | DR | Hurricane | 1967-09-28 |
Storm Events in Texas
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Willacy County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 14,072 | 0 | 15 | $7.4B |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 10,293 | 41 | 141 | $369.9M |
| Drought | 7,032 | 0 | 0 | $86.0K |
| Flash Flood | 4,728 | 338 | 24 | $47.6B |
| Heat | 4,079 | 119 | 405 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
522
Total Paid
$5.0M
Avg Per Claim
$9.6K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 77.5/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Low
$21.4M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively High
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Coastal Flooding Very Low
Hail Relatively Low
Riverine Flooding Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Winter Weather Very Low
Earthquake Very Low
Landslide Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
The model's sharpest exposure here: Cold Wave
Cold Wave measures exposure to extreme cold rather than to snow. Its harm is concentrated in health effects, burst infrastructure and energy demand spikes, and it falls hardest where the building stock and the grid were not built with sustained cold in mind.
Worth noting for Willacy County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Cold Wave carries the highest modeled rating (Relatively High), while the county's declaration history is led by Hurricane. That is not a contradiction, the two measure genuinely different things. Declarations record federal ACTION, which requires damage costly enough to exceed state and local capacity; the Risk Index models EXPECTED annual loss across all 18 hazards whether or not any declaration ever followed. A hazard can be the county's largest modeled exposure and never once have driven a declaration.
National Risk Index ratings are modeled estimates of expected annual loss, not predictions of what will happen in any given year.
Data-matched county comparisons
Willacy County's closest FEMA peer: Rensselaer County, NY
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Willacy County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Willacy County shows 29 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Willacy County: 18 of 29 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Willacy County: NRI composite 77.5 (Relatively Low).
How these peers are chosen
Cohort: Published U.S. county equivalents outside the source state or territory. Each metric keeps six ETL candidates; three unique destinations are shown after de-duplicating across axes. Declaration-volume ranking combines count and Major-disaster share and prefers a different leading incident type; Major-share ranks the Major fraction adjusted for volume; NRI ranks the modeled composite score only.
Retained FEMA snapshot feed for Willacy County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Willacy County: nearest out-of-state National Risk Index composite and nearest FEMA declaration count (floor ≥5 records). Record similarity only, not a forecast of the next hazard.
Similar NRI composite
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA NRI score. This county: 77.5 (Relatively Low).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 29. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Willacy County's NFIP claims file (522 claims) and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records - this guide separates them from modeled NRI risk.
More PlainHazard guides
- Most disaster-prone counties - U.S. counties ranked by FEMA declaration totals.
- Understanding disaster data - declarations vs storm events vs NRI scores.
- Preparing for natural disasters - household checklist (not county-specific advice).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Willacy County?
The most common disaster type in Willacy County is Hurricane, with 15 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (3), Severe Storm (3), Severe Ice Storm (2).
How does Willacy County's FEMA declaration record compare with the Texas average?
FEMA lists 29 declaration records for Willacy County. That is 39% above the Texas county mean of 20.9. Its count is also 40% above the national county mean of 20.7. A larger declaration history records more federal actions; it is not a forecast of the county's next hazard.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Willacy County received?
Willacy County has received 18 major disaster declarations, representing 62% of all 29 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Willacy County filed?
Willacy County has 522 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $5.0M in payments, with an average of $9.6K per claim.
What was the worst year for disasters in Willacy County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Willacy County was 2008, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1967 to 2025.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Willacy County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Willacy County, Texas has an overall risk score of 77.5 out of 100 (Relatively Low). On social vulnerability the county rates Very High; on community resilience, Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Low, representing $21.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Willacy County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Willacy County as of the latest release is Cold Wave (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Hurricane (Relatively Moderate) and Drought (Relatively High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts cold wave here at an average of 3 times per year, drawn from 45 historical events on record. FEMA derives these ratings from historical event frequency, the assets exposed, and the community's vulnerability profile.
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.
Flood insurance data comes from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA claims dataset.
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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Willacy County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · Texas profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events