Natural disaster risk in Ector County, Texas
Texas · population 165,100 · FIPS 48135
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Ector County has a composite risk score of 82.8 out of 100 — higher than 82% of US counties. It ranks 42 of 254 in Texas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, hail, strong wind.
Drought now: could not be read just now
The U.S. Drought Monitor could not be read just now for Ector County. See droughtmonitor.unl.edu for this week's map.
Drought in Ector 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 moderate 82.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $46.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 82.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 44.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 14.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Ector County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Very high 97 |
| Hail | Relatively high 99 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 87 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 85 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 76 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 68 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 88 |
| Drought | Relatively low 59 |
| Earthquake | Very low 41 |
| Hurricane | Very low 36 |
| Landslide | Very low 2 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Ector County
Federal declarations that designated Ector County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Ector County.
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 Ector County, Texas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Ector County as relatively moderate, with a score of 82.8 out of 100 (higher than 82% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Ector County?
The hazards rated highest for Ector County are winter weather (very high), hail (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Ector County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Ector County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Ector County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Ector County.
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