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East on Walnut toward downtown FrenchburgPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Frenchburg · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Frenchburg

Frenchburg isn’t graded for hazard risk: Frenchburg has 643 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 2018.

Flood claims
11
paid since 2018 · $239K
Flooded more than once
4
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 26 declared for Menifee County
By hazard

What Frenchburg 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

89%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Wildfire Hail Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Frenchburg flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Frenchburg, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 3 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 7 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201820212023
20182026
11
paid claims since 2018
$239K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$22K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Menifee County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Frenchburg

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

  1. 2012Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding105 households applied for aid$300K aid approved
  2. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes34 households applied for aid$107K aid approved
  3. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides16 households applied for aid$34K aid approved
  4. 2003Severe Winter Ice and Snow Storms, Heavy Rain, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Mud and25 households applied for aid$94K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FrenchburgMenifee County only

Menifee County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Frenchburg archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Frenchburg 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 ↗
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 Frenchburg

Does Frenchburg flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Frenchburg since 2018, $239K in all. 4 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Frenchburg 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 Menifee County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Frenchburg?

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

By FEMA money that reached Frenchburg, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding (2012): 105 households applied for aid, $300K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Frenchburg.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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