Photo: Fruitianslip · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in San Joaquin than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Joaquin gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #216 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (65%), then river and rain flooding (34%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1983.
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 San Joaquin faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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 San Joaquin’s grade
Earthquakes are 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in San Joaquin, and San Joaquin’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 34% (lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #216 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of San Joaquin’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, San Joaquin has less expected damage per building than 75% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $21.3M a year in losses across San Joaquin: $2.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does San Joaquin flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in San Joaquin, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
San Joaquin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fresno County.The storms San Joaquin remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Fresno County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching San Joaquin itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19832 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Fresno County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. 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 Fresno County, 2016–2020.
Old photos of San Joaquin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the San Joaquin archive →Get ready for what San Joaquin faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 San Joaquin
Is San Joaquin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Joaquin has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #216 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (65%) and river and rain flooding (34%). 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 San Joaquin flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in San Joaquin since 1983, $8K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is San Joaquin 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 Fresno County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in San Joaquin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for San Joaquin’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is San Joaquin at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and San Joaquin’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in San Joaquin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where San Joaquin’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.