San Jacinto County, TX
FEMA National Risk Index scores, disaster declarations & hazard data
San Jacinto County has experienced 32 federally declared disasters since 1973, most recently Pauline Road Fire in 2025. Its overall natural hazard risk is rated Relatively Low — lower risk than most US counties.
San Jacinto County's highest-rated hazards are tornado, hurricane, and lightning, with its top risk rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index. NOAA records 26 storm events in the county over the past decade. Community vulnerability is elevated (81st percentile nationally), suggesting residents may face greater difficulty recovering from major disasters.
Past disasters & FEMA designations
A federal disaster declaration officially designates a county for FEMA disaster assistance. San Jacinto County has been designated in 32 declarations since 1973, covering 7 disaster types including hurricane (10), flood (9), severe storm (5).
| Year | Type | Event name |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Fire | Pauline Road Fire |
| 2024 | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| 2024 | Hurricane | Hurricane Beryl |
| 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2020 | Hurricane | Tropical Storms Marco And Laura |
| 2020 | Flood | Tropical Storm Imelda |
| 2020 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2017 | Hurricane | Hurricane Harvey |
Showing the 10 most recent of 32 total declarations since 1973.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries. A single disaster can produce more than one record per county. Data current through September 2026.
Risk by hazard type
| Hazard | Risk rating | Risk score | Recorded events | Deaths | Prop. damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 68.4 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Inland Flooding | Relatively Low | 61 | 9 | 3 | $350.0M |
| Coastal Flooding | Not Applicable | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 20.1 | — | — | — |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 57.3 | 7 | 0 | — |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 90 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 74.5 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Hail | Very Low | 29.4 | 10 | 0 | $7K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 42.7 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | 6.2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | 58.5 | — | — | — |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 55.2 | — | — | — |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 74.2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Drought | No Rating | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Landslide | Very Low | 31.8 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Avalanche | Not Applicable | — | — | — | — |
| Tsunami | Not Applicable | — | — | — | — |
| Volcanic Activity | Not Applicable | — | — | — | — |
Scores are 0–100 percentiles relative to all US counties — higher means more exposed, not that a disaster is likely this year. Event counts: NOAA Storm Events 2016–2026; earthquake counts from USGS ComCat (M3.0+, 1996–2026). See the methodology page for details.
Community vulnerability
San Jacinto County ranks in the 81st percentile (High) for community vulnerability — a measure of how hard disaster impacts tend to hit residents. Higher vulnerability means more displacement, worse health outcomes, and slower recovery after a disaster.
| SVI theme | Percentile | Vulnerability level |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 81st | High |
| Socioeconomic status | 93rd | High |
| Household characteristics | 88th | High |
| Racial & ethnic minority status | 63rd | Moderate |
| Housing type & transportation | 30th | Low |
Source: CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022. Percentiles compare counties nationally — higher means more vulnerable relative to other counties. See CDC SVI for full methodology.
Future risk outlook
| Wildfire metric | National percentile | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Burn probability | 65th | Relatively High |
| Risk to homes | 62nd | Relatively High |
| Buildings in direct exposure zone | 85.5% | — |
NOAA tracked 26 weather events in this county over 2016–2025: 6 in 2016–20 vs 20 in 2021–25 .
Wildfire: USDA Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities (RDS-2020-0016-2) — modeled values, not annual forecasts. See wildfirerisk.org. Inland flood and heat projections pending data availability; coastal sea-level projections are available for select coastal counties below — see the data page.
Nearby counties
Frequently asked questions
What natural hazards pose the greatest risk in San Jacinto County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, the highest-risk hazards in San Jacinto County, Texas are tornado, hurricane, and lightning. The county's overall natural hazard risk is rated Relatively Low — lower risk than most US counties.
Has San Jacinto County received federal disaster declarations?
Yes. San Jacinto County has received 32 federal disaster declarations since 1973, including declarations in 2025. The most common disaster type on record is hurricane (10 declarations).
Has San Jacinto County had any FEMA disaster declarations in 2024, 2025, or 2026?
Yes. Recent federal disaster declarations for San Jacinto County include Pauline Road Fire (2025), Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (2024), Hurricane Beryl (2024). See the declarations table above for the full history since 1973.
How does San Jacinto County's natural hazard risk compare to nearby counties?
Among neighboring counties, Montgomery County, TX has the highest overall natural hazard risk (Relatively High) and Trinity County, TX has the lowest (Relatively Low). San Jacinto County is rated Relatively Low overall.
How is San Jacinto County's composite disaster risk index calculated?
San Jacinto County's composite disaster risk index — officially FEMA's National Risk Index (NRI) — scores every US county on a 0–100 percentile scale across 18 natural hazard types, factoring in expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. San Jacinto County's composite score of 59 means its overall natural hazard risk is higher than 59% of US counties.