Every federal disaster in New Braunfels since 1953

Each square is a disaster or emergency declaration by the President or FEMA that covered Comal County. Declarations make federal aid available after hurricanes, floods, storms, fires and other events, so this is a record of the big ones.

Declarations: 38since 1953
Major disasters: 23the most serious kind
Since 2000: 20declarations
Most recent: 2026Flooding

Floods (9)Hurricanes and tropical storms (9)Fires (7)Severe storms and tornadoes (6)Biological (COVID-19) (3)Winter storms (3)Other (1)

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Comal County's overall natural hazard risk relatively moderate, led by tornado, inland flooding and winter weather. The history above shows what has actually happened; the risk index estimates what is likely.

All declarations

Declared	Event	Type	FEMA number
Jul 18, 2026	Flooding	Emergency	EM-3649
Apr 21, 2023	Severe Winter Storm	Major disaster	DR-4705
Feb 19, 2021	Severe Winter Storms	Major disaster	DR-4586
Feb 14, 2021	Severe Winter Storm	Emergency	EM-3554
Mar 25, 2020	COVID-19 Pandemic	Major disaster	DR-4485
Mar 13, 2020	COVID-19	Emergency	EM-3458
Mar 13, 2020	COVID-19	Emergency	EM-3501
Aug 25, 2017	Hurricane Harvey	Major disaster	DR-4332
Nov 25, 2015	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding	Major disaster	DR-4245
May 29, 2015	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding	Major disaster	DR-4223
Jun 29, 2010	Tropical Storm Alex	Emergency	EM-3313
Sep 10, 2008	Hurricane Ike	Emergency	EM-3294
Mar 14, 2008	Wildfires	Emergency	EM-3284
Aug 16, 2006	Purgatory Road Fire	Fire management	FM-2666
Jan 11, 2006	Extreme Wildfire Threat	Major disaster	DR-1624
Sep 24, 2005	Hurricane Rita	Major disaster	DR-1606
Sep 21, 2005	Hurricane Rita	Emergency	EM-3261
Sep 2, 2005	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Emergency	EM-3216
Jul 4, 2002	Severe Storms and Flooding	Major disaster	DR-1425
Jan 4, 2000	Purgatory Fire	Fire management	FM-2290
Sep 1, 1999	Extreme Fire Hazards	Emergency	EM-3142
Mar 2, 1999	Fischer Fire	Fire management	FM-2249
Oct 21, 1998	Tx-Flooding 10/18/98	Major disaster	DR-1257
Aug 26, 1998	Tropical Storm Charley	Major disaster	DR-1239
Jun 23, 1998	Fire	Emergency	EM-3127
Jul 7, 1997	Severe Storms and Flooding	Major disaster	DR-1179
Sep 10, 1993	Extreme Fire Hazard	Emergency	EM-3113
Dec 26, 1991	Severe Thunderstorms	Major disaster	DR-930
May 20, 1972	Severe Storms & Flooding	Major disaster	DR-333
Sep 24, 1963	Hurricane Cindy	Major disaster	DR-159
Sep 16, 1961	Hurricane Carla	Major disaster	DR-118
Jul 15, 1960	Heavy Rains, Hail, Floods & Tornadoes	Major disaster	DR-103
Jul 8, 1959	Floods	Major disaster	DR-93
Jun 6, 1958	Tornadoes, Rain, Hail & Floods	Major disaster	DR-85
Apr 29, 1957	Hurricane, Rain, Wind, Hail & Floods	Major disaster	DR-72
Jul 1, 1954	Flood	Major disaster	DR-18
Jun 19, 1953	Flood	Major disaster	DR-9
May 15, 1953	Tornado & Heavy Rainfall	Major disaster	DR-2

Frequently asked questions

How many federal disasters has New Braunfels had?

Since 1953, the federal government has issued 38 disaster or emergency declarations covering Comal County, including 23 major disaster declarations. 20 of them came in 2000 or later.

What was the most recent federal disaster in New Braunfels?

Flooding (Emergency, declared July 18, 2026).

What kinds of disasters hit New Braunfels most often?

By FEMA incident type: flood (9), hurricane (9), fire (7) and severe storm (4).

New to New Braunfels? The city profile covers flood maps and emergency alerts, and the risk summary shows FEMA's hazard ratings.

Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), downloaded October 18, 2026. We list declarations that named Comal County, plus early statewide declarations from before FEMA designated individual counties. "Major disaster" declarations bring the widest federal aid; "emergency" declarations cover shorter-term help; "fire management" declarations help pay to fight large wildfires.