Photo: Brocken Inaglory · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Belvedere than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belvedere gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then earthquakes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 42 claims here since 1982.
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 Belvedere’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Belvedere faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
Coastal 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 Belvedere’s grade
River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Belvedere, and Belvedere’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 14%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Belvedere’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Belvedere: $4.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Belvedere flood? Sometimes: 42 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belvedere, from FEMA’s records: 38.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern3 claims · $9K
- The California Atmospheric River1 claim · $14K
Belvedere isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Marin County.The storms Belvedere remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Marin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Belvedere itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198319 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides and Tornadoes, declared for Marin County
- 198212 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19983 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, declared for Marin County
Marin County has had 22 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.
Old photos of Belvedere after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belvedere archive →Belvedere and its neighbors
Belvedere 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiburon | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Belvedere | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
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 Belvedere faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Belvedere
Is Belvedere at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belvedere has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and earthquakes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Belvedere flood?
Flood insurance has paid 42 claims in Belvedere since 1982, $612K in all, or 38.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (3).
Is Belvedere 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 Marin County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Belvedere?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Belvedere’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 Belvedere?
By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 3 paid, $9K.
Is Belvedere at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Belvedere’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belvedere.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belvedere’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.