FEMA puts Madera Acres’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Madera Acres gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #153 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then earthquakes (27%). 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 Madera Acres 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
Wildfire
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 Madera Acres’ grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Madera Acres, and Madera Acres’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 6%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #153 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Madera Acres’ residents live in 3 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, Madera Acres has less expected damage per building than 82% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.8M a year in losses across Madera Acres: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Madera Acres flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Madera Acres. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Madera Acres isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Madera County.The storms Madera Acres remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Madera County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Madera Acres itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Madera 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.
Also 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Madera County, 2005–2020.
Madera Acres and its neighbors
Madera Acres has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madera Acres | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Madera | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
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 Madera Acres 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.
- 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.
- 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 Madera Acres
Is Madera Acres at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Madera Acres has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #153 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and earthquakes (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Madera Acres 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 Madera County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Madera Acres?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Madera Acres’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Madera Acres at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Madera Acres’ rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Madera Acres.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Madera Acres’ 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.