FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Bermuda Dunes than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bermuda Dunes gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #762 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then earthquakes (27%). Flood insurance has paid 4 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 Bermuda Dunes 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
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 Bermuda Dunes’ grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bermuda Dunes, and Bermuda Dunes’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 27%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #762 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bermuda Dunes’ residents live in 2 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, Bermuda Dunes has more expected damage per building than 90% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.0M a year in losses across Bermuda Dunes: $8.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bermuda Dunes flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bermuda Dunes, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Hilary1 claim · $87K
Bermuda Dunes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Riverside County.The storms Bermuda Dunes remembers
None of the 33 disasters declared for Riverside County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bermuda Dunes itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19831 flood claims paidThe year of Flash Flooding, declared for Riverside County
- 20201 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20231 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Hilary, declared for Riverside County
Riverside County has had 33 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 30 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Riverside County, 2003–2026.
Old photos of Bermuda Dunes after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bermuda Dunes archive →Bermuda Dunes and its neighbors
Bermuda Dunes is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Quinta | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 38 |
| Desert Palms | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Indio | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Bermuda Dunes | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Palm Desert | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 218 |
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 Bermuda Dunes 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.
- 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 Bermuda Dunes
Is Bermuda Dunes at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bermuda Dunes has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #762 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and earthquakes (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bermuda Dunes flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Bermuda Dunes since 1983, $277K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Hilary (1).
Is Bermuda Dunes 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 Riverside County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bermuda Dunes?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bermuda Dunes’ 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 Bermuda Dunes?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Hilary: 1 paid, $87K.
Is Bermuda Dunes at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Bermuda Dunes’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bermuda Dunes.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bermuda Dunes’ 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.