Photo: Allie_Caulfield from Germany · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Coarsegold faces more hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coarsegold gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #719 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (75%), then river and rain flooding (22%). 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 Coarsegold faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
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 Coarsegold’s grade
Wildfire is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Coarsegold, and Coarsegold’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 22% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).
D− #719 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Coarsegold’s residents live in 3 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, Coarsegold has more expected damage per building than 85% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.5M a year in losses across Coarsegold: $4.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Coarsegold flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Coarsegold. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Coarsegold 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 Coarsegold
Disasters that paid out in Coarsegold itself (aid to households or repair grants to Coarsegold), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides84 households applied for aid$358K 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 Coarsegold after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Coarsegold archive →Coarsegold and its neighbors
Coarsegold is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yosemite Lakes | Dmore damage than 93% | wildfire | — |
| Coarsegold | D−more damage than 98% | wildfire | 0 |
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 Coarsegold faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Coarsegold
Is Coarsegold at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coarsegold has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #719 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (75%) and river and rain flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Coarsegold 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 Coarsegold?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Coarsegold’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 Coarsegold?
By FEMA money that reached Coarsegold, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 84 households applied for aid, $358K approved.
Is Coarsegold at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Coarsegold’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Coarsegold.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Coarsegold’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.