Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Borrego Springs

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
BorregoSprings1Photo: Perdelsky at English Wikipedia · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Borrego Springs · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Borrego Springs than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by wildfire

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Borrego Springs gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #793 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (43%), then river and rain flooding (30%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Wildfire 43%River and rain flooding 30%Earthquakes 25%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#793 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#793 of 847
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Wildfire
43% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 30 declared for San Diego County
By hazard

What Borrego Springs faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

43%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

30%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

25%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Landslides top 0% Tornadoes Hurricanes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts earthquakes at 40% of Borrego Springs’ expected losses. Earthquakes do little damage to buildings (25.2%), 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 Borrego Springs’ grade

Wildfire is 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in Borrego Springs, and Borrego Springs’ rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 25%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Borrego Springs sits
Borrego Springs
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #793 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

Borrego Springs’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Wildfire43%River and rain flooding30%Earthquakes25%Everything else2%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Borrego Springs has more expected damage per building than 94% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $25.2M a year in losses across Borrego Springs: $19.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Borrego Springs covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Borrego Springs flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Borrego Springs. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: San Diego County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Borrego Springs

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

  1. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Borrego SpringsSan Diego County only

San Diego County has had 30 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 18 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Diego County, 2002–2018.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Borrego Springs archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Borrego Springs faces

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

Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 Borrego Springs

Is Borrego Springs at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Borrego Springs has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #793 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (43%) and river and rain flooding (30%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Borrego Springs 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 San Diego County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Borrego Springs?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Borrego Springs’ 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 Borrego Springs?

By FEMA money that reached Borrego Springs, Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides (2004): 1 households applied for aid, $2K approved.

Is Borrego Springs at risk from wildfire?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and Borrego Springs’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Borrego Springs.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Borrego Springs’ 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.