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DSCN3051Photo: Bobbascious · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Agua Dulce · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Agua Dulce, mostly from wildfire

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Agua Dulce gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #833 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (54%), then river and rain flooding (29%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Wildfire 54%River and rain flooding 29%Earthquakes 16%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#833 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#833 of 847
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Wildfire
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 40 declared for Los Angeles County
By hazard

What Agua Dulce faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

54%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

29%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides top 2% Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 16% of Agua Dulce’s expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Agua Dulce’s grade

Wildfire is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Agua Dulce, and Agua Dulce’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 29%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Agua Dulce sits
Agua Dulce
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #833 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

Agua Dulce’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Wildfire54%River and rain flooding29%Earthquakes16%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Agua Dulce has more expected damage per building than 98% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.7M a year in losses across Agua Dulce: $8.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Agua Dulce covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Agua Dulce flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Agua Dulce. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Agua Dulce isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Los Angeles County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Agua Dulce

Disasters that paid out in Agua Dulce itself (aid to households or repair grants to Agua Dulce), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides10 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Agua DulceLos Angeles County only

Los Angeles County has had 40 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 44 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Los Angeles County, 2002–2025.

Were you here?

Old photos of Agua Dulce after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Agua Dulce archive →
Next door

Agua Dulce and its neighbors

Agua Dulce is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Acton: hazard risk D−ActonAgua Dulce
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ActonD−among the highest damageriver and rain flooding1
Agua DulceD−among the highest damagewildfire0

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Agua Dulce faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Agua Dulce

Is Agua Dulce at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Agua Dulce has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #833 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (54%) and river and rain flooding (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Agua Dulce 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 Los Angeles County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Agua Dulce?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Agua Dulce’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 Agua Dulce?

By FEMA money that reached Agua Dulce, Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides (2004): 10 households applied for aid, $11K approved.

Is Agua Dulce at risk from wildfire?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Agua Dulce’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Agua Dulce.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Agua Dulce’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.