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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Empire · FEMA

FEMA puts Empire’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Empire gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #148 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then earthquakes (44%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1997.

River and rain flooding 55%Earthquakes 44%

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

more than 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#148 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
C−#148 of 847
in California · higher than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1997 · $141K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 82% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Empire 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

55%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Earthquakes

44%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Strong wind Hail Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 4%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Empire’s grade

River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Empire, and Empire’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 44% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Empire sits
Empire
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #148 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Empire’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding55%Earthquakes44%Everything else0%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Empire has less expected damage per building than 83% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.3M a year in losses across Empire: $7.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Empire’s 4,202 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Empire flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1997

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Empire, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1997
19972026
1
paid claims since 1997
$141K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$141K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Empire isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Stanislaus County.
Disasters

The storms Empire remembers

None of the 16 disasters declared for Stanislaus County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Empire itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 19971 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EmpireStanislaus County only

Stanislaus 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Stanislaus County, 2020–2020.

Were you here?

Old photos of Empire after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Empire archive →
Next door

Empire and its neighbors

Empire is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Modesto: hazard risk CModestoEmpire
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ModestoCmore damage than 75%river and rain flooding41
EmpireC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding1

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Empire faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Empire

Is Empire at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Empire has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #148 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and earthquakes (44%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Empire flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Empire since 1997, $141K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Empire 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 Stanislaus County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Empire?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Empire’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Empire at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Empire’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Empire.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Empire’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.