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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Meadow Vista · FEMA

FEMA puts Meadow Vista’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Meadow Vista gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #207 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then wildfire (33%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 64%Wildfire 33%Earthquakes 3%

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 84%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#207 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
C−#207 of 847
in California · higher than 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2005 · $1K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 85% of U.S. towns

What stands out about Meadow Vista’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Wildfire: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for wildfire here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 33.2% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way2 homes raised above flood level with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Meadow Vista 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

64%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

33%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Meadow Vista’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Meadow Vista, and Meadow Vista’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 33%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Meadow Vista sits
Meadow Vista
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #207 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Wildfire33%Earthquakes3%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Meadow Vista has less expected damage per building than 76% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Meadow Vista: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Meadow Vista’s 3,263 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 Meadow Vista flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Meadow Vista, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2005
20052026
1
paid claims since 2005
$1K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$1K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Placer County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2homes raised above flood level
Disasters

The storms Meadow Vista remembers

None of the 16 disasters declared for Placer County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Meadow Vista itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20051 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides, declared for Placer County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Meadow VistaPlacer County only

Placer 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 7 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Placer County, 2002–2022.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Meadow Vista archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Meadow Vista 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 ↗
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 Meadow Vista

Is Meadow Vista at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Meadow Vista has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #207 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and wildfire (33%). 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.

Does Meadow Vista flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Meadow Vista since 2005, $1K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Meadow Vista 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 Placer County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Meadow Vista?

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

Is Meadow Vista at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Meadow Vista’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Meadow Vista.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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