Photo: Barbara Brannon · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Fritch faces more hazard damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, led by wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fritch gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (45%), then river and rain flooding (24%). 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 stands out about Fritch’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Fritch faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Hail
Tornadoes
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 Fritch’s grade
Wildfire is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fritch, and Fritch’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 15%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Fritch’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Fritch: $753K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fritch flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Fritch. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Fritch isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hutchinson County.The storms Fritch remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Hutchinson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fritch itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Hutchinson County has had 9 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.
Also 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Hutchinson County, 2011–2025.
Get ready for what Fritch faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Fritch
Is Fritch at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fritch has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (45%) and river and rain flooding (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Fritch 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 Hutchinson County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Fritch?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fritch’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Fritch at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Fritch’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fritch.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fritch’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.