Bluetown’s biggest natural hazard is hurricanes
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bluetown comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Bluetown’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
What Bluetown faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Cold waves
Inland flooding
Does Bluetown flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bluetown, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Dolly1 claim · $7K
Bluetown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cameron County.How exposed is Bluetown?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 66% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and cold waves.
Rated higher than 1,419 of the 1,859 Texas towns we cover.
Bluetown covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bluetown
Disasters that paid out in Bluetown itself (aid to households or repair grants to Bluetown) and its biggest flood years.
- 2008Hurricane Dolly6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding1 household applied for aid$936 aid approved
Cameron County has had 29 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.
Old photos of Bluetown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bluetown archive →Get ready for what Bluetown actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Bluetown and its neighbors
Bluetown has the lowest rating of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Feria | High | hurricanes | 209 |
| Bluetown | High | hurricanes | 1 |
| Iglesia Antigua | High | hurricanes | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in July–September
The month each of Cameron County’s 29 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Bluetown’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Bluetown.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Bluetown, expected losses total about $1.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bluetown.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.