More hazard damage per building is expected in Phoenix Lake than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Phoenix Lake gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #649 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then wildfire (49%). 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 Phoenix Lake 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
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 Phoenix Lake’s grade
River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Phoenix Lake, and Phoenix Lake’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 49%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #649 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Phoenix Lake’s residents live in 2 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, Phoenix Lake has more expected damage per building than 77% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across Phoenix Lake: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Phoenix Lake flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Phoenix Lake. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Phoenix Lake isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tuolumne County.The storms Phoenix Lake remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Tuolumne County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Phoenix Lake itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Tuolumne 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Tuolumne County, 2013–2026.
Phoenix Lake and its neighbors
Phoenix Lake is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Sonora | C−more damage than 85% | wildfire | 1 |
| Mono Vista | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Phoenix Lake | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Phoenix Lake 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.
- 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 Phoenix Lake
Is Phoenix Lake at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Phoenix Lake has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #649 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and wildfire (49%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Phoenix Lake 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 Tuolumne County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Phoenix Lake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Phoenix Lake’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Phoenix Lake at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Phoenix Lake’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Phoenix Lake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Phoenix Lake’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.