Photo: Acj sf · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Brisbane’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brisbane gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #321 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (75%), then river and rain flooding (23%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 Brisbane faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain 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 Brisbane’s grade
Earthquakes are 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brisbane, and Brisbane’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Landslides add 2%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #321 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Brisbane’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Brisbane has less expected damage per building than 62% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.5M a year in losses across Brisbane: $5.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brisbane flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brisbane, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Brisbane 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 Mateo County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brisbane
Disasters that paid out in Brisbane itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Brisbane), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides11 households applied for aid$115K aid approved$2.1M to the City of Brisbane for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$238K to the City of Brisbane for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides$5K to the City of Brisbane for repairs
San Mateo County has had 19 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Mateo County, 2010–2020.
Old photos of Brisbane after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brisbane archive →Brisbane and its neighbors
Brisbane has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane | Dmore damage than 90% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Daly City | Dmore damage than 92% | earthquakes | 23 |
| San Francisco | Dmore damage than 93% | earthquakes | 66 |
| South San Francisco | D−more damage than 96% | earthquakes | 76 |
| Oakland | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 103 |
| Alameda | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 34 |
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 Brisbane faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Brisbane
Is Brisbane at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brisbane has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #321 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (75%) and river and rain flooding (23%). 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 Brisbane flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Brisbane since 1982, $6K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Brisbane 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 Mateo County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brisbane?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brisbane’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 Brisbane?
By FEMA money that reached Brisbane, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 11 households applied for aid, $115K approved, and $2.1M to the City of Brisbane for repairs.
Is Brisbane at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Brisbane’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brisbane.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brisbane’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.