Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Lavaca County, TX

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
48285
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Approved, expires 2030-02-10. Plan: Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281), approved 2025-02-11.

Since the plan was approved on 2025-02-11: no new hazard declaration and 17 NOAA Storm Events records; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($22,940,854 a year), Cold Wave ($5,007,337) and Hurricane ($2,994,777).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Approved, expires 2030-02-10
Plan:
Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)
Approved:
2025-02-11
Days to expiry:
1,229

What changed since your last plan (approved 2025-02-11)

New federal declarations:
none
Storm Events records since approval:
17 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 1 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 4
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county: 16 rows, in the section "Plan clock: Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county" on the following pages.

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Plan clock

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryNotes
Lavaca County (unincorporated area)UnincorporatedApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Hallettsville cityCityApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Moulton townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Shiner cityCityApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Yoakum cityCityApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Ezzell Independent School DistrictSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Hallettsville Independent School DistrictSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Moulton Independent School DistrictSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Shiner Independent School DistrictSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Sweet Home Independent School DistrictSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Vysehrad Independent School DistrictSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Weimar Independent School DistrictSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2030-04-30Colorado County (FEMA plan 110400)2025-05-012030-04-301,308this jurisdiction approved 2025-09-10
Yoakum Independent School DistrictSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Lavaca County Flood Control District #3Flood Control DistrictApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Lavaca Navidad River AuthorityFlood Control DistrictApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10
Yoakum Community HospitalHospital/Medical FacilityApproved, expires 2030-02-10Lavaca County (FEMA plan 110281)2025-02-112030-02-101,229this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-10

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countStorm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$4,937,007$194,625$17,809,222$22,940,854116
2Cold WaveRelatively ModerateRelatively High$4,037$21,316$4,981,984$5,007,3372
3HurricaneRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$2,753,182$176,491$65,104$2,994,7773
4TornadoRelatively LowRelatively Low$425,074$990$774,187$1,200,25015
5LightningRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$12,193n/a$489,286$501,4794
6Heat WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$42$197$388,110$388,3492
7DroughtRelatively ModerateRelatively Lown/a$356,150n/a$356,15057
8Strong WindRelatively LowRelatively Low$146,993$3,679$57,901$208,57340
9HailRelatively LowRelatively Low$83,256$28,712$33,982$145,95050
10Winter WeatherRelatively LowRelatively Low$3,689$65$19,092$22,84611
11Ice StormVery LowVery Low$2,334n/a$18,996$21,3300Declared 1 time; no Storm Events record of this type.
12WildfireVery LowVery Low$14,836$116$3,331$18,2820Declared 3 times; no Storm Events record of this type.
13EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$11,802n/a$3,137$14,939Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
14LandslideVery LowVery Low$25n/a$1$260No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local wildfire and landslide records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 1 (Very Low, 15.9); tract 2 (Very Low, 13.9); tract 4 (Very Low, 12.6)
Hurricanetract 1 (Relatively High, 93.2); tract 2 (Relatively High, 92.3); tract 5 (Relatively High, 91.6)
Landslidetract 1 (Very Low, 67.1); tract 5 (Very Low, 55.7); tract 3 (Very Low, 49.4)
Tornadotract 1 (Relatively High, 83.3); tract 2 (Relatively High, 82.4); tract 5 (Relatively High, 79.9)
Wildfiretract 5 (Relatively Low, 80.9); tract 1 (Relatively Low, 79.3); tract 2 (Relatively Low, 77.0)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 1 is Census Tract 1). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill2 records, 2021 to 2022 (2 zone-level)1 day to 2 days (median 1.5 days); 2 with a recorded value2 consecutive days, 2022-12-22 to 2022-12-23, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)57 records, 1996 to 2026 (57 zone-level)30 days to 336 days (median 74 days); 15 with a recorded value336 days (11 months), 2011-05-01 to 2012-03-31, a run of 11 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)85 records, 1959 to 20260.75 in to 4 in (median 1 in); 85 with a recorded value4 in hail, 1961-05-25Hail, 2004-04-10, $100,000 property; crops not reported (2004 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Moulton town (13 records), Shiner city (5 records), Yoakum city (4 records), Hallettsville city (3 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)2 records, 2023 (2 zone-level)7 days to 27 days (median 17 days); 2 with a recorded valueAugust 2023 (1 monthly summary record), zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson3 records, 2003 to 2017 (3 zone-level)Strongest recorded: Tropical Storm record, 2003-07-15, $100,000 property; $300,000 crops (2003 dollars); NWS zone TXZ225Countywide (zone-level records).Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)0
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)116 records, 1996 to 2026 (9 zone-level)Flash Flood, 1998-10-18, $3,000,000 property; $500,000 crops (1998 dollars), 300 direct injuriesEvent records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Shiner city (5 records), Yoakum city (4 records), Moulton town (3 records). Zone-level records (9) apply countywide.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)4 records, 1997 to 2024Lightning, 1997-07-31, $0 property; $0 crops (1997 dollars), 1 direct deathLightning, 2022-09-03, $250,000 property; $0 crops (2022 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)0
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)63 records, 1959 to 202445 kt (52 mph) to 80 kt (92 mph) (median 60 kt (69 mph)); 28 with a recorded value80 kt (92 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2003-08-11Thunderstorm Wind, 1994-06-20, $500,000 property; $500 crops (1994 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Shiner city (9 records), Moulton town (8 records), Yoakum city (5 records), Hallettsville city (1 record).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)35 records, 1954 to 2021F/EF0 to F/EF3 (median F/EF1); 33 with a recorded valueF3 tornado, 1967-09-20, 4.3 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 333 yd wide, $2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1967 dollars), 4 direct injuriesEvent records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Moulton town (2 records), Shiner city (2 records).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)11 records, 1997 to 2026 (11 zone-level)No damage reported in 11 records.Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow and lightning.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

A monthly summary record covers most or all of a month; it does not count days at wave conditions.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 19 declarations covering 12 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2024-07-092024-07-05DR-4798-TXMajor disasterHurricane BerylHurricaneno Public Assistance recordedin the 12 months before plan approval; within last 5 years
2021-02-192021-02-11DR-4586-TXMajor disasterSevere Winter StormsIce Storm$5,089.12
2021-02-142021-02-11EM-3554-TXEmergencySevere Winter StormIce Stormno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4586
2020-03-252020-01-20DR-4485-TXMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3458-TXEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4485
2017-08-252017-08-23DR-4332-TXMajor disasterHurricane HarveyHurricane$250,701.55
2008-09-102008-09-07EM-3294-TXEmergencyHurricane IkeHurricaneno Public Assistance recorded
2008-08-292008-08-27EM-3290-TXEmergencyHurricane GustavHurricaneno Public Assistance recorded
2006-01-112005-11-27DR-1624-TXMajor disasterExtreme Wildfire ThreatWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
2005-09-242005-09-23DR-1606-TXMajor disasterHurricane RitaHurricane: evacuation support (county designated for sheltering evacuees, no Individual Assistance), not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2005-09-212005-09-20EM-3261-TXEmergencyHurricane RitaHurricane: evacuation support (county designated for sheltering evacuees, no Individual Assistance), not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-1606
2005-09-022005-08-29EM-3216-TXEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
1999-09-011999-08-01EM-3142-TXEmergencyExtreme Fire HazardsWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
1998-10-211998-10-17DR-1257-TXMajor disasterTx-Flooding 10/18/98Inland Flooding (primary); also designated: TornadoPA not declared for this county
1998-08-261998-08-22DR-1239-TXMajor disasterTropical Storm CharleyHurricane; Inland Flooding: designated for Hazard Mitigation only (no Public or Individual Assistance for this county); not countedPA not declared for this county
1994-10-181994-10-14DR-1041-TXMajor disasterSevere Thunderstorms and FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1993-09-101993-08-30EM-3113-TXEmergencyExtreme Fire HazardDrought (primary); also designated: Wildfireno Public Assistance recorded
1981-09-211981-09-21DR-646-TXMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1967-09-281967-09-28DR-232-TXMajor disasterHurricane BeulahHurricane (primary); also designated: Inland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

School districts and special districts in this county: $6,604.45 (included in the county total above). Public Assistance matched by applicant name to the school districts and special districts FEMA lists as plan participants in this county. They have no row of their own in the jurisdiction table, so their total is listed here. These dollars are already included in the county PA column of the declarations table (the FEMA record places each applicant in this county), so this line is not added to it.

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1998-06-231998-06-04EM-3127-TXEmergencyFireWildfire
1963-09-241963-09-24DR-159-TXMajor disasterHurricane CindyHurricane (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding
1961-09-161961-09-16DR-118-TXMajor disasterHurricane CarlaHurricane (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding
1960-07-151960-07-15DR-103-TXMajor disasterHeavy Rains, Hail, Floods & TornadoesHail; Inland Flooding; Tornado
1959-07-081959-07-08DR-93-TXMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1958-06-061958-06-06DR-85-TXMajor disasterTornadoes, Rain, Hail & FloodsTornado (primary); also designated: Hail, Inland Flooding
1957-04-291957-04-29DR-72-TXMajor disasterHurricane, Rain, Wind, Hail & FloodsHurricane (primary); also designated: Hail, Inland Flooding
1954-07-011954-07-01DR-18-TXMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding
1953-06-191953-06-19DR-9-TXMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding
1953-05-151953-05-15DR-2-TXMajor disasterTornado & Heavy RainfallTornado

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

91 Fire Management declarations (1988-03-12 to 2009-04-10) FEMA filed as Statewide with no county; each names one local fire. Listed on the state page.

Public Assistance not placed in any Texas county: 1 row, $902,084.65; listed on the Texas state page.

Source: 3

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave2001001996 to 2026-06-30
Drought5712024101996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail85114001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave2002001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane3000501996 to 2026-06-30
Ice Storm0000101996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 1 federal declared incident (see declarations table)
Inland Flooding116309401996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning4012001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind63013001955 to 2026-06-30
Tornado35000101950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000301996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 3 federal declared incidents (see declarations table)
Winter Weather11113001996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2023-08-01Excessive Heat$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2023 dollars)0, 0NWS zone TXZ225 (LAVACA), zone-levelwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2022-12-22Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2022 dollars)0, 0NWS zone TXZ225 (LAVACA), zone-levelwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2022-09-03Lightning$250,000 property; $0 crops (2022 dollars)0, 0HALLETSVILLEwithin last 5 yearsB1-c most damaging: Lightning
2021-02-15Extreme Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2021 dollars)1, 0NWS zone TXZ225 (LAVACA), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded
2011-05-01Droughtdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone TXZ225 (LAVACA), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2003-08-11Thunderstorm Wind80 kt (92 mph) estimated gust$20,000 property; $0 crops (2003 dollars)0, 0SHINERB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2003-07-15Tropical Storm$100,000 property; $300,000 crops (zone total, 2003 dollars)0, 0NWS zone TXZ225 (LAVACA), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical Depression
1998-10-18Flash Flood$3,000,000 property; $500,000 crops (1998 dollars)0, 300COUNTYWIDEB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
1997-07-31Lightning$0 property; $0 crops (1997 dollars)1, 0HALLETSVILLEdeaths or injuries recorded
1997-04-10Flash Flood$1,000,000 property; $50,000 crops (1997 dollars)1, 0COUNTYWIDEdeaths or injuries recorded
1967-09-20TornadoF3, 4.3 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 333 yd wide$2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1967 dollars)0, 4location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Tornado
1961-05-25Hail4 indamage not recorded (pre-1996 record)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Hail

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (378 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave0.421event-days per yearabout 0.421 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 2 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (6.67%)82005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought54.3event-days per yearabout 54.3 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 12 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (40%)1,5962000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.000399annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.0399%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail1.69events per yearabout 1.69 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)64.4 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave11.1event-days per yearabout 11.1 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)1932005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricane0.0996events per yearabout 1 in 10 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)361851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNRI counts hurricane and tropical storm tracks passing within storm-force wind range; federal declarations are in B1-d.
Ice Storm0.438event-days per yearabout 0.438 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)301946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywideNo Storm Events ice storm record, 1996 to 2025
Inland Flooding3.61event-days per yearabout 3.61 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 18 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (60%)1011996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.106events per year (modeled)about 1 in 9 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning57.6days per year with a strikeabout 57.6 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind0.901events per yearabout 0.9 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)351986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.466events per yearabout 1 in 2 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.00078annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.078%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Winter Weather1.74event-days per yearabout 1.74 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 9 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (30%)332005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202531301.03
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20252300.0667
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202521300.7
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20255300.167
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 202514300.467
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202514300.467
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20251300.0333
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave6 of 697.898.999.3Very High 6
Drought5 of 683.387.098.2Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 1, Relatively Low 3, No Rating 1
Earthquake6 of 69.412.315.9Very Low 6
Hail6 of 668.575.177.3Relatively Moderate 5, Relatively Low 1
Heat Wave6 of 662.872.276.7Relatively Moderate 6
Hurricane6 of 687.491.693.2Relatively High 5, Relatively Moderate 1
Ice Storm6 of 633.240.559.1Relatively Low 4, Very Low 2
Inland Flooding6 of 649.698.2100.0Very High 4, Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 1
Landslide6 of 69.549.367.1Very Low 6
Lightning6 of 696.198.298.8Very High 6
Strong Wind6 of 668.774.777.9Relatively Moderate 6
Tornado6 of 671.778.883.3Relatively High 4, Relatively Moderate 2
Wildfire6 of 668.976.580.9Relatively Low 6
Winter Weather6 of 656.463.766.9Relatively Moderate 6

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its plan
Lavaca County (unincorporated area)UnincorporatedApproved, expires 2030-02-10FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 1$172,945.050 total; 0 since its plan
Hallettsville cityCityApproved, expires 2030-02-10FMA RL 0, SRL 1; any 3$34,307.104 total; 0 since its plan
Moulton townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-10FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$5,089.1226 total; 0 since its plan
Shiner cityCityApproved, expires 2030-02-10FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$33,982.9521 total; 0 since its plan
Yoakum cityCityApproved, expires 2030-02-10FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded13 total; 0 since its plan

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

School districts and special districts get a plan clock row only.

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets
  • Texas A&M Forest Service TxWRAP for wildfire risk; Texas State Hazard Mitigation Plan hazard list for B1-a exclusions.

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2025-02-11county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$5,644,077,688$65,044,44620,309$4,037$21,316$4,981,984under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$5,941,852n/an/a$356,150n/a5.99% (agriculture)$0NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$10,261,531,497n/a20,337$11,802n/a$3,1370.000115%
Hail$5,644,077,688$65,044,44620,309$83,256$28,712$33,9820.00148%$0
Heat Wave$5,644,077,688$65,044,44620,309$42$197$388,110under 0.0001%
Hurricane$5,643,874,956$64,684,16020,307$2,753,182$176,491$65,1040.0488%
Ice Storm$5,637,041,813n/a20,300$2,334n/a$18,996under 0.0001%
Inland Flooding$5,641,132,462$7,025,2411,237$4,937,007$194,625$17,809,222n/a (see note)$0NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$4,307,621n/a12$25n/a$10.000581%
Lightning$5,644,077,688n/a20,309$12,193n/a$489,2860.000216%
Strong Wind$5,644,077,688$65,044,44620,309$146,993$3,679$57,9010.0026%
Tornado$5,644,077,688$65,044,44620,309$425,074$990$774,1870.00753%
Wildfire$330,836,768$19,074,6833,745$14,836$116$3,3310.00448%
Winter Weather$5,644,077,688$65,044,44620,309$3,689$65$19,092under 0.0001%$0

Totals since 2025-02-11 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 4 county-coded records, 4 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0; 13 zone-level records, 13 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: no counted declaration since the plan.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population20,309
Building value (total, not at risk)$5,644,077,688
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$65,044,446
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Relatively Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$9,176,808
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$24,644,334
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively High
Community resilience ratingRelatively High
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)1
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition4Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition1

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county and state-level rows

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0141402
of which: Lavaca County (unincorporated area)0010101
of which: Hallettsville city0131301
Statewide, no county in FEMA's file381271319

The statewide row counts properties FEMA's file gives with no county in this state; they are listed for reference and are not in this county's counts.

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Lavaca County (unincorporated area)4811780010101
Hallettsville city4854760131301
Moulton town4804330000000
Shiner city4811360000000
Yoakum city4804340000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential0141402
2 to 4 unit residential0000000
other residential0000000
non-residential0000000
not reported0000000

FEMA's occupancy groups have no institutional class; institutional properties are counted in non-residential or other residential in the table by occupancy group.

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 4 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

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).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Lavaca County, TX: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 48285). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/tx/48285/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: [email protected]