Photo: Jss3255 · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Arcata faces more hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Arcata gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #575 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (71%), then river and rain flooding (26%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1983.
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 Arcata’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Arcata faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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 Arcata’s grade
Earthquakes are 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Arcata, and Arcata’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #575 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Arcata’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Arcata has more expected damage per building than 68% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $21.1M a year in losses across Arcata: $15.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Arcata flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Arcata, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Arcata isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Humboldt County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Arcata
Disasters that paid out in Arcata itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Arcata), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides$1.7M to the City of Arcata for repairs
Humboldt County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Arcata after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Arcata archive →Arcata and its neighbors
Arcata is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKinleyville | Dmore damage than 92% | earthquakes | 9 |
| Arcata | D−more damage than 95% | earthquakes | 11 |
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.
Get ready for what Arcata faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- 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 Arcata
Is Arcata at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Arcata has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #575 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (71%) and river and rain flooding (26%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Arcata flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Arcata since 1983, $187K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Arcata 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 Humboldt County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Arcata?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Arcata’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 Arcata?
By FEMA money that reached Arcata, Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides (2005): $1.7M to the City of Arcata for repairs.
Is Arcata at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Arcata’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Arcata.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Arcata’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.