Photo: Fruitianslip · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Selma faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Selma gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #38 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (52%), then river and rain flooding (48%). 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 Selma 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 Selma’s grade
Earthquakes are 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Selma, and Selma’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 48% (lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #38 of 847 in California; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Selma’s residents live in 6 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, Selma has less expected damage per building than 96% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.8M a year in losses across Selma: $4.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Selma flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Selma. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Selma 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Selma
Disasters that paid out in Selma itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Selma), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$22K to the City of Selma for repairs
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$11K to the City of Selma for repairs
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 Selma after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Selma archive →Selma and its neighbors
Selma 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selma | B−less damage than 54% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Kingsburg | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Selma 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 Selma
Is Selma at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Selma has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #38 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (52%) and river and rain flooding (48%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Selma 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 Selma?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Selma’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 Selma?
By FEMA money that reached Selma, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): $22K to the City of Selma for repairs.
Is Selma at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Selma’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Selma.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Selma’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.