Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Chowchilla’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chowchilla gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #86 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then earthquakes (43%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Chowchilla faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Chowchilla’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chowchilla, and Chowchilla’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #86 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Chowchilla’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Chowchilla has less expected damage per building than 90% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.8M a year in losses across Chowchilla: $4.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chowchilla flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chowchilla. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Chowchilla isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Madera County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Chowchilla
Disasters that paid out in Chowchilla itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Chowchilla), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides10 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Madera County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Madera County, 2005–2020.
Old photos of Chowchilla after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chowchilla archive →Chowchilla and its neighbors
Chowchilla has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chowchilla | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Fairmead | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Chowchilla faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Chowchilla
Is Chowchilla at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chowchilla has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #86 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and earthquakes (43%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Chowchilla in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Madera County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chowchilla?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chowchilla’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Chowchilla?
By FEMA money that reached Chowchilla, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 10 households applied for aid, $5K approved.
Is Chowchilla at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Chowchilla’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chowchilla.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chowchilla’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.