On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Hayfork, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hayfork gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #824 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then wildfire (37%). 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 Hayfork 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
Wildfire
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 Hayfork’s grade
River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hayfork, and Hayfork’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 37%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #824 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hayfork’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, Hayfork has more expected damage per building than 97% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.0M a year in losses across Hayfork: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hayfork flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hayfork. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hayfork isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Trinity County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Hayfork
Disasters that paid out in Hayfork itself (aid to households or repair grants to Hayfork), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Wildfires7 households applied for aid$45K aid approved
Trinity County has had 22 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Trinity County, 2006–2021.
Old photos of Hayfork after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hayfork archive →Get ready for what Hayfork 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.
- 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.
- 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 Hayfork
Is Hayfork at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hayfork has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #824 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and wildfire (37%). 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 Hayfork 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 Trinity County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hayfork?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hayfork’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 Hayfork?
By FEMA money that reached Hayfork, Wildfires (2021): 7 households applied for aid, $45K approved.
Is Hayfork at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Hayfork’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hayfork.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hayfork’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.