Photo: Peregrine Fisher · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Cave Junction than in 98% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cave Junction gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (44%), then wildfire (35%). 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 Cave Junction 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
Wildfire
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 Cave Junction’s grade
River and rain flooding is 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cave Junction, and Cave Junction’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 35%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cave Junction’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Cave Junction: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cave Junction flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cave Junction. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cave Junction isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Josephine County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cave Junction
Disasters that paid out in Cave Junction itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Cave Junction), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Wildfires and Straight-line Winds1 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$2K to the City of Cave Junction for repairs
Josephine County has had 10 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 12 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Josephine County, 2002–2026.
Old photos of Cave Junction after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cave Junction archive →Cave Junction and its neighbors
Cave Junction 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cave Junction | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Kerby | — | 187 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 Cave Junction 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.
- 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.
- 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 Cave Junction
Is Cave Junction at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cave Junction has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (44%) and wildfire (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Cave Junction 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 Josephine County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cave Junction?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cave Junction’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 Cave Junction?
By FEMA money that reached Cave Junction, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2005): $2K to the City of Cave Junction for repairs.
Is Cave Junction at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Cave Junction’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cave Junction.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cave Junction’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.