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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Firebaugh · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Firebaugh than in 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Firebaugh gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #300 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then earthquakes (47%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 53%Earthquakes 47%

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 89%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#300 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D#300 of 847
in California · higher than 89% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
53% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 15 declared for Fresno County
By hazard

What Firebaugh 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

53%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

47%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Heat waves top 2% Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 61% of Firebaugh’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Firebaugh’s grade

River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Firebaugh, and Firebaugh’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 47%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Firebaugh sits
Firebaugh
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #300 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Firebaugh’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding53%Earthquakes47%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Firebaugh has less expected damage per building than 65% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.0M a year in losses across Firebaugh: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Firebaugh covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Firebaugh flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Firebaugh. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Fresno County.
Disasters

The storms Firebaugh remembers

None of the 15 disasters declared for Fresno County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Firebaugh itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FirebaughFresno County only

Fresno County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Fresno County, 2016–2020.

Be ready

Get ready for what Firebaugh 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 Firebaugh

Is Firebaugh at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Firebaugh has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #300 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and earthquakes (47%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Firebaugh 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 Fresno County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Firebaugh?

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

Is Firebaugh at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Firebaugh’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Firebaugh.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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