Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Newcastle

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Newcastle Portuguese HallNewcastle Portuguese Hall · Photo: T71024 · CC BY-SA 3.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Newcastle · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Newcastle than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newcastle gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then wildfire (45%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 50%Wildfire 45%Earthquakes 4%

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 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in California · higher than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 16 declared for Placer County
By hazard

What Newcastle 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

50%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

45%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 top 5%
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 Newcastle’s grade

River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Newcastle, and Newcastle’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 45%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Newcastle sits
Newcastle
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Newcastle’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding50%Wildfire45%Earthquakes4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $649K a year in losses across Newcastle: $625K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Newcastle covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Newcastle flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

Newcastle 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.
Disasters

The storms Newcastle remembers

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

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NewcastlePlacer 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Newcastle 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 Newcastle

Is Newcastle at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newcastle has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and wildfire (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Newcastle 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 Newcastle?

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

Is Newcastle at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Newcastle’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newcastle.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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