Photo: TaurusEmerald · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Pine Grove than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Grove gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #253 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (57%), then river and rain flooding (42%). 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 Pine Grove 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 Pine Grove’s grade
Wildfire is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pine Grove, and Pine Grove’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 42% (higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts).
D #253 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pine Grove’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, Pine Grove has less expected damage per building than 70% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Pine Grove: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pine Grove flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pine Grove. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pine Grove isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Amador County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Pine Grove
Disasters that paid out in Pine Grove itself (aid to households or repair grants to Pine Grove), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides41 households applied for aid$237K aid approved
Amador County has had 17 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Amador County, 2015–2015.
Old photos of Pine Grove after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pine Grove archive →Pine Grove and its neighbors
Pine Grove 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Grove | Dmore damage than 87% | wildfire | 0 |
| Red Corral | Dmore damage than 91% | wildfire | — |
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 Pine Grove 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 Pine Grove
Is Pine Grove at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Grove has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #253 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (57%) and river and rain flooding (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Pine Grove 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 Amador County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pine Grove?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pine Grove’s 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 Pine Grove?
By FEMA money that reached Pine Grove, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 41 households applied for aid, $237K approved.
Is Pine Grove at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Pine Grove’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pine Grove.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pine Grove’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.