Natural disaster risk in Panola County, Texas
Texas · population 22,480 · FIPS 48365
Overall: relatively low risk
Panola County has a composite risk score of 55.4 out of 100 — higher than 55% of US counties. It ranks 124 of 254 in Texas (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, ice storm, hail.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 3 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 55.5% of Panola County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 3 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Panola 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 low 55.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $12.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 45 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 83.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 36.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Panola County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Relatively high 92 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 88 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 65 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 78 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 75 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 72 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 44 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 43 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 37 |
| Earthquake | Very low 50 |
| Landslide | Very low 20 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Drought | No rating |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Panola County
Federal declarations that designated Panola County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Panola County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4798-TX (Hurricane Beryl), declared 9 Jul 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4798-TX | Major disaster | Hurricane Beryl | 9 Jul 2024 | No |
| DR-4781-TX | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 17 May 2024 | Yes |
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 Panola County, Texas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Panola County as relatively low, with a score of 55.4 out of 100 (higher than 55% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Panola County?
The hazards rated highest for Panola County are strong wind (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high), hail (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Panola County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Panola County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Panola County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Panola County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4798-TX (Hurricane Beryl), declared 9 Jul 2024.
Is Panola County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 55.5% of Panola County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 3 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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