Photo: Vidor at en.wikipedia · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Caliente
Caliente isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Caliente yet. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2026.
What Caliente 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
Wildfire
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.
Does Caliente flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2026
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Caliente, from FEMA’s records.
Caliente isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lincoln County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Caliente
Disasters that paid out in Caliente itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Caliente), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Heavy Rains and Flooding$1.2M to the City of Caliente for repairs
Lincoln County has had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Lincoln County, 2002–2002.
Old photos of Caliente after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Caliente archive →Caliente and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaverdam | — | 0 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bennett Springs | — | 101 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 Caliente 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.
- 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.
- 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 Caliente
Does Caliente flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Caliente since 2026, $13K in all.
Is Caliente 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 Lincoln County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Caliente?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Caliente’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 Caliente?
By FEMA money that reached Caliente, Heavy Rains and Flooding (2005): $1.2M to the City of Caliente for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Caliente.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Caliente’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.