FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Blythe as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blythe gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #36 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then earthquakes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2000.
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 Blythe 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 Blythe’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Blythe, and Blythe’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Landslides add 3%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #36 of 847 in California; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Blythe’s residents live in 8 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, Blythe has less expected damage per building than 96% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.0M a year in losses across Blythe: $4.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Blythe flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Blythe, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Blythe 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 Blythe remembers
None of the 33 disasters declared for Riverside County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Blythe itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20001 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Blythe after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Blythe archive →Blythe and its neighbors
Blythe has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blythe | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ehrenberg | — | 697 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Blythe 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 Blythe
Is Blythe at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blythe has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #36 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and earthquakes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Blythe flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Blythe since 2000, $9K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Blythe 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 Blythe?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Blythe’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Blythe at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Blythe’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Blythe.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Blythe’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.