On FEMA’s figures, Goshen faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Goshen gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #52 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then earthquakes (42%). 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 Goshen 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 Goshen’s grade
River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Goshen, and Goshen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 42% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #52 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Goshen’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Goshen has less expected damage per building than 94% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Goshen: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Goshen flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Goshen. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Goshen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tulare County.The storms Goshen remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Tulare County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Goshen itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Tulare County has had 17 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Tulare County, 2016–2020.
Goshen and its neighbors
Goshen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goshen | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Visalia | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
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 Goshen 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 Goshen
Is Goshen at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Goshen has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #52 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and earthquakes (42%). 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.
Is Goshen 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 Tulare County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Goshen?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Goshen’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Goshen at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Goshen’s rate for it is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Goshen.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Goshen’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.