Photo: Jim Evans · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Ganado than in 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ganado gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (66%), then river and rain flooding (31%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 2004.
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 Ganado faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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 Ganado’s grade
Hurricanes are 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ganado, and Ganado’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 31% (higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts).
D higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ganado’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across Ganado: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ganado flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ganado, from FEMA’s records: 23.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Bill5 claims · $90K
Ganado isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jackson County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ganado
Disasters that paid out in Ganado itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Ganado), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Beryl158 households applied for aid$149K aid approved
- 2021Severe Winter Storms36 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$82K to the City of Ganado for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Harvey256 households applied for aid$60K aid approved$31K to the City of Ganado for repairs
- 2003Hurricane Claudette22 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
Jackson County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Ganado after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ganado archive →Get ready for what Ganado faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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.
- 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 Ganado
Is Ganado at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ganado has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (66%) and river and rain flooding (31%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ganado flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Ganado since 2004, $281K in all, or 23.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Bill (5).
Is Ganado 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 Jackson County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 6.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ganado?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ganado’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 Ganado?
By FEMA money that reached Ganado, Hurricane Beryl (2024): 158 households applied for aid, $149K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Bill: 5 paid, $90K.
Is Ganado at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Ganado’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ganado.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ganado’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.