Photo: The original uploader was Billy Hathorn at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Panhandle than in 82% of U.S. towns, led by wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Panhandle gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (32%), then hail (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 Panhandle’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Panhandle faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
Hail
River and rain flooding
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 Panhandle’s grade
Wildfire is 32% of the building damage FEMA expects in Panhandle, and Panhandle’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 24%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Panhandle’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Panhandle: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Panhandle flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Panhandle. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Panhandle isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Carson County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Panhandle
Disasters that paid out in Panhandle itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Panhandle), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$9K to the Town of Panhandle for repairs
Carson 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Carson County, 2021–2021.
Old photos of Panhandle after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Panhandle archive →Get ready for what Panhandle 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Panhandle
Is Panhandle at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Panhandle has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (32%) and hail (24%). 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.
Is Panhandle 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 Carson County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Panhandle?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Panhandle’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 Panhandle?
By FEMA money that reached Panhandle, Severe Winter Ice Storm (2000): $9K to the Town of Panhandle for repairs.
Is Panhandle at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (32%), and Panhandle’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Panhandle.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Panhandle’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.