More hazard damage per building is expected in Linda than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Linda gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #262 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%), then earthquakes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 56 claims here since 1986.
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 Linda 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 Linda’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Linda, and Linda’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D #262 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Linda’s residents live in 6 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, Linda has less expected damage per building than 69% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.0M a year in losses across Linda: $6.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Linda flood? Sometimes: 56 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Linda, from FEMA’s records: 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern2 claims · $5K
- The California Atmospheric River1 claim · $24K
Linda isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Yuba County.The storms Linda remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Yuba County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Linda itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199734 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19867 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Yuba County
- 19955 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding Landslides, Mud Flow, declared for Yuba County
Yuba 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Yuba County, 2009–2020.
Old photos of Linda after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Linda archive →Linda and its neighbors
Linda is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olivehurst | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
| Linda | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 56 |
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 Linda 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 Linda
Is Linda at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Linda has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #262 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and earthquakes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Linda flood?
Flood insurance has paid 56 claims in Linda since 1986, $2.1M in all, or 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (2).
Is Linda 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 Yuba County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Linda?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Linda’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 Linda?
By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 2 paid, $5K.
Is Linda at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Linda’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Linda.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Linda’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.