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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Lake Don Pedro · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Lake Don Pedro than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from wildfire

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Don Pedro gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (77%), then river and rain flooding (22%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Wildfire 77%River and rain flooding 22%Earthquakes 1%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Wildfire
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 12 declared for Mariposa County
By hazard

What Lake Don Pedro faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

77%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

22%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Strong wind Hail Winter storms Heat waves top 3% Lightning Avalanches top 2% Volcanic activity top 4%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 24% of Lake Don Pedro’s expected losses. Heat waves do 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 Lake Don Pedro’s grade

Wildfire is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake Don Pedro, and Lake Don Pedro’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 22% (higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Lake Don Pedro sits
Lake Don Pedro
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Wildfire77%River and rain flooding22%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.1M a year in losses across Lake Don Pedro: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Lake Don Pedro’s 1,765 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Greeley Hill CDP (927 residents) and Coulterville CDP (115 residents) and Buck Meadows CDP (21 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Lake Don Pedro flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

Disasters

The storms Lake Don Pedro remembers

None of the 12 disasters declared for Mariposa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lake Don Pedro itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Lake Don PedroMariposa County only

Mariposa County has had 12 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 8 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Mariposa County, 2004–2024.

Be ready

Get ready for what Lake Don Pedro faces

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

Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Lake Don Pedro

Is Lake Don Pedro at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Don Pedro has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (77%) and river and rain flooding (22%). 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 Lake Don Pedro 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.

How much is flood insurance in Lake Don Pedro?

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

Is Lake Don Pedro at risk from wildfire?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Lake Don Pedro’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Don Pedro.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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