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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Terra Bella · FEMA

FEMA puts Terra Bella’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Terra Bella gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then earthquakes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 68%Earthquakes 18%Wildfire 13%

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

more than 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in California · higher than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 17 declared for Tulare County
By hazard

What Terra Bella 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

68%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Heat waves top 1% Hail Strong wind Winter storms Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 5%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 24% of Terra Bella’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Terra Bella’s grade

River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Terra Bella, and Terra Bella’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 13%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Terra Bella sits
Terra Bella
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Terra Bella’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding68%Earthquakes18%Wildfire13%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Terra Bella: $847K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Terra Bella’s 2,910 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Ducor CDP (616 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Terra Bella flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Terra Bella. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Terra Bella isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Tulare County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Terra Bella

Disasters that paid out in Terra Bella itself (aid to households or repair grants to Terra Bella), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides22 households applied for aid$20K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Terra BellaTulare County only

Tulare County has had 17 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Tulare County, 2016–2020.

Were you here?

Old photos of Terra Bella after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Terra Bella archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Terra Bella faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Terra Bella

Is Terra Bella at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Terra Bella has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and earthquakes (18%). 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.

Is Terra Bella 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 Tulare County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Terra Bella?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Terra Bella’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 Terra Bella?

By FEMA money that reached Terra Bella, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 22 households applied for aid, $20K approved.

Is Terra Bella at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Terra Bella’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Terra Bella.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Terra Bella’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.