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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Le Grand · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Le Grand faces more hazard damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Le Grand gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then earthquakes (23%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 70%Earthquakes 23%Wildfire 6%

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 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in California · higher than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
70% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 16 declared for Merced County
By hazard

What Le Grand 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

70%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Lightning Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
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 71% of Le Grand’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 Le Grand’s grade

River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Le Grand, and Le Grand’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 6%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Le Grand sits
Le Grand
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Le Grand’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding70%Earthquakes23%Wildfire6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.1M a year in losses across Le Grand: $901K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Le Grand’s 1,592 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Le Grand flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Le Grand. 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

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

Insurance rates: Merced County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Le Grand

Disasters that paid out in Le Grand itself (aid to households or repair grants to Le Grand), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides44 households applied for aid$33K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Le GrandMerced County only

Merced County has had 16 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Le Grand after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Le Grand archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Le Grand 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Le Grand

Is Le Grand at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Le Grand has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and earthquakes (23%). 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 Le Grand 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 Merced County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Le Grand?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Le Grand’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 Le Grand?

By FEMA money that reached Le Grand, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 44 households applied for aid, $33K approved.

Is Le Grand at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Le Grand’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Le Grand.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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