Turlock’s biggest natural hazard is earthquakes
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Turlock comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1998. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Turlock’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Turlock
Disasters that paid out in Turlock itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Turlock) and its biggest flood years.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$33K to the City of Turlock for repairs
- 2020Wildfires9 households applied for aid
- 199812 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
Stanislaus County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Old photos of Turlock after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Turlock archive →How exposed is Turlock?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 50% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,523 of the 1,619 California towns we cover.
Turlock covers 13 census tracts, combined by population.
What Turlock faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Inland flooding
Does Turlock flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Turlock, from FEMA’s records.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern12 claims · $45K
Turlock isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Stanislaus County.Get ready for what Turlock actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in December–February
The month each of Stanislaus County’s 18 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Turlock’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Turlock.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Turlock, expected losses total about $19.9M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Turlock.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.