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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in London · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in London as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, London gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then earthquakes (41%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 58%Earthquakes 41%

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 54%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in California · higher than 54% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
58% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 17 declared for Tulare County
By hazard

What London 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

58%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

41%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Strong wind Heat waves top 1% Hail Winter storms Lightning Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesLandslidesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 27% of London’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 London’s grade

River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in London, and London’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 41% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).

Where London sits
London
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding58%Earthquakes41%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $789K a year in losses across London: $424K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of London’s 1,518 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Traver CDP (731 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 London flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Tulare County.
Disasters

The storms London remembers

None of the 17 disasters declared for Tulare County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching London itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LondonTulare County only

Tulare County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. 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 Tulare County, 2016–2020.

Be ready

Get ready for what London 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 ↗
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 London

Is London at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, London has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and earthquakes (41%). 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 London 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 Tulare County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in London?

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

Is London at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and London’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in London.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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