Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Shasta than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shasta gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (65%), then river and rain flooding (29%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1979.
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 Shasta 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
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 Shasta’s grade
Wildfire is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shasta, and Shasta’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 29% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Shasta’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Shasta: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shasta flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shasta, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Shasta isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Shasta County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Shasta
Disasters that paid out in Shasta itself (aid to households or repair grants to Shasta), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Wildfires and High Winds313 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved
Shasta County has had 23 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 15 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Shasta County, 2002–2021.
Old photos of Shasta after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shasta archive →Shasta and its neighbors
Shasta 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redding | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Centerville | D−more damage than 98% | wildfire | — |
| Shasta | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | 1 |
| Keswick | — | 240 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Shasta 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.
- 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 Shasta
Is Shasta at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shasta has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (65%) and river and rain flooding (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Shasta flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Shasta since 1979, $4K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Shasta 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 Shasta County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shasta?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shasta’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 Shasta?
By FEMA money that reached Shasta, Wildfires and High Winds (2018): 313 households applied for aid, $1.4M approved.
Is Shasta at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Shasta’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shasta.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shasta’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.