On FEMA’s figures, Quincy faces more hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Quincy gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then wildfire (31%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2000.
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 Quincy 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
Earthquakes
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 Quincy’s grade
River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Quincy, and Quincy’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 31%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Quincy’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Quincy: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Quincy flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Quincy, from FEMA’s records: 9.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Quincy isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Plumas County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Quincy
Disasters that paid out in Quincy itself (aid to households or repair grants to Quincy), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Wildfires50 households applied for aid$50K aid approved
Plumas County has had 18 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 Plumas County, 2020–2021.
Old photos of Quincy after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Quincy archive →Quincy and its neighbors
Quincy is 2nd of the 2 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 Quincy | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Quincy | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
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 Quincy 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Quincy
Is Quincy at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Quincy has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and wildfire (31%). 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 Quincy flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Quincy since 2000, $45K in all, or 9.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Quincy 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 Plumas County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Quincy?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Quincy’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 Quincy?
By FEMA money that reached Quincy, Wildfires (2021): 50 households applied for aid, $50K approved.
Is Quincy at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Quincy’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Quincy.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Quincy’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.