Photo: Yurivict at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Gold Beach than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gold Beach gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (55%), then river and rain flooding (25%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1996.
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 Gold Beach faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
Tsunamis
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 Gold Beach’s grade
Earthquakes are 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gold Beach, and Gold Beach’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 16%, 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).
Gold Beach’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.5M a year in losses across Gold Beach: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gold Beach flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gold Beach, from FEMA’s records: 10.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Gold Beach isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Curry County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gold Beach
Disasters that paid out in Gold Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Gold Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$13K to the City of Gold Beach for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Tsunami Wave Surge$2K to the City of Gold Beach for repairs
Curry County has had 11 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Curry County, 2002–2017.
Old photos of Gold Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gold Beach archive →Gold Beach and its neighbors
Gold Beach 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Beach | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 14 |
| Wedderburn | — | 206 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 Gold Beach faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- 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 Gold Beach
Is Gold Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gold Beach has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (55%) and river and rain flooding (25%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Gold Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Gold Beach since 1996, $537K in all, or 10.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Gold Beach 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 Curry County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gold Beach?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gold Beach’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 Gold Beach?
By FEMA money that reached Gold Beach, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): $13K to the City of Gold Beach for repairs.
Is Gold Beach at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Gold Beach’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gold Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gold Beach’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.