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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bethel Island · FEMA

FEMA puts Bethel Island’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethel Island gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then earthquakes (28%). Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 67%Earthquakes 28%Wildfire 5%

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

more than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in California · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
67% of expected building damage
Flood claims
19
paid since 1978 · $352K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 17 declared for Contra Costa County
By hazard

What Bethel Island 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

67%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

28%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire top 4% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 4%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 14% of Bethel Island’s expected losses. Drought does 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 Bethel Island’s grade

River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bethel Island, and Bethel Island’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 28%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bethel Island sits
Bethel Island
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Bethel Island’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding67%Earthquakes28%Wildfire5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Bethel Island: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bethel Island’s 2,131 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bethel Island flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bethel Island, from FEMA’s records: 18.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 2 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 3 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 3 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 4 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820052017
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Pineapple Express - Southern3 claims · $40K
  • The California Atmospheric River2 claims · $169K
19
paid claims since 1978
$352K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$19K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Contra Costa County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bethel Island

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

  1. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides39 households applied for aid$98K aid approved
  2. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides7 households applied for aid$29K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bethel IslandContra Costa County only

Contra Costa County has had 17 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bethel Island archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bethel Island faces

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

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 Bethel Island

Is Bethel Island at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethel Island has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and earthquakes (28%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Bethel Island flood?

Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Bethel Island since 1978, $352K in all, or 18.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (3).

Is Bethel Island 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 Contra Costa County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bethel Island?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bethel Island’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 Bethel Island?

By FEMA money that reached Bethel Island, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 39 households applied for aid, $98K approved. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 3 paid, $40K.

Is Bethel Island at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Bethel Island’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bethel Island.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bethel Island’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.