Photo: Jakobemerson · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Murphys than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Murphys gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (69%), then river and rain flooding (30%). 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 Murphys faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
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 Murphys’ grade
Wildfire is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Murphys, and Murphys’ rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 30% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).
D higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Murphys’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Murphys: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Murphys flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Murphys. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Murphys isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Calaveras County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Murphys
Disasters that paid out in Murphys itself (aid to households or repair grants to Murphys), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides18 households applied for aid$300 aid approved
Calaveras County has had 15 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Calaveras County, 2004–2026.
Old photos of Murphys after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Murphys archive →Murphys and its neighbors
Murphys has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murphys | Dmore damage than 95% | wildfire | 0 |
| Douglas Flat | — | 181 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Murphys faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Murphys
Is Murphys at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Murphys has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (69%) and river and rain flooding (30%). 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 Murphys 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 Calaveras County, 37% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Murphys?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Murphys’ 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 Murphys?
By FEMA money that reached Murphys, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 18 households applied for aid, $300 approved.
Is Murphys at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Murphys’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Murphys.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Murphys’ 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.