Natural disaster risk in Cameron County, Texas
Texas · population 420,083 · FIPS 48061
Overall: relatively high risk
Cameron County has a composite risk score of 97.3 out of 100 — higher than 97% of US counties. It ranks 9 of 254 in Texas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are cold wave, hurricane, heat wave.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 12 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 83.8% of Cameron County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 12 weeks in a row.
Drought in Cameron County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively high 97.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $165.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 94.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 91.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 6.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Cameron County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Cold wave | Very high 99 |
| Hurricane | Very high 99 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 97 |
| Hail | Relatively high 96 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 94 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 87 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 85 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 82 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 83 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 83 |
| Earthquake | Very low 50 |
| Landslide | Very low 37 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Cameron County
Federal declarations that designated Cameron County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Cameron County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4871-TX (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 21 May 2025.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4871-TX | Major disaster | Severe Storms and Flooding | 21 May 2025 | Yes |
| DR-4798-TX | Major disaster | Hurricane Beryl | 9 Jul 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Texas, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Cameron County, Texas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Cameron County as relatively high, with a score of 97.3 out of 100 (higher than 97% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Cameron County?
The hazards rated highest for Cameron County are cold wave (very high), hurricane (very high), heat wave (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Cameron County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Cameron County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Cameron County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Cameron County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4871-TX (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 21 May 2025.
Is Cameron County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 83.8% of Cameron County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 12 weeks in a row.
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