Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Gridley’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gridley gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #88 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (52%), then river and rain flooding (44%). 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 Gridley faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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 Gridley’s grade
Earthquakes are 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gridley, and Gridley’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #88 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Gridley’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, Gridley has less expected damage per building than 90% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.7M a year in losses across Gridley: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gridley flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Gridley. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Gridley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Butte County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gridley
Disasters that paid out in Gridley itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Gridley), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Wildfires27 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
- 2017Wildfires5 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$187K to the City of Gridley for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides$75K to the City of Gridley for repairs
Butte County has had 24 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 11 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Butte County, 2004–2024.
Old photos of Gridley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gridley archive →Get ready for what Gridley faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Gridley
Is Gridley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gridley has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #88 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (52%) and river and rain flooding (44%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Gridley 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 Butte County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gridley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gridley’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 Gridley?
By FEMA money that reached Gridley, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2017): $187K to the City of Gridley for repairs.
Is Gridley at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Gridley’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gridley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gridley’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.