Photo: JMora24 · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Tulare than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tulare gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #253 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%), then earthquakes (18%). 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 Tulare 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
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 Tulare’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tulare, and Tulare’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 18% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
D #253 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tulare’s residents live in 16 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, Tulare has less expected damage per building than 70% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $27.6M a year in losses across Tulare: $22.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tulare flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Tulare. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Tulare 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Tulare
Disasters that paid out in Tulare itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Tulare), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides98 households applied for aid$29K aid approved
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.
Old photos of Tulare after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tulare archive →Tulare and its neighbors
Tulare has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulare | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Matheny | — | 572 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 Tulare 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.
- 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 Tulare
Is Tulare at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tulare has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #253 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and earthquakes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Tulare 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 Tulare?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tulare’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 Tulare?
By FEMA money that reached Tulare, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 98 households applied for aid, $29K approved.
Is Tulare at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Tulare’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tulare.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tulare’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.