Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Calistoga

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
Castello di Amorosa courtyard 2 (cropped)Photo: Oleg Alexandrov · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Calistoga · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Calistoga than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Calistoga gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #824 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then earthquakes (30%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 68%Earthquakes 30%Wildfire 2%

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#824 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#824 of 847
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 1993 · $43K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 25 declared for Napa County
By hazard

What Calistoga 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

68%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

30%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire top 5% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Calistoga’s grade

River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Calistoga, and Calistoga’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 30%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Calistoga sits
Calistoga
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #824 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding68%Earthquakes30%Everything else2%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Calistoga has more expected damage per building than 97% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.5M a year in losses across Calistoga: $8.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Wildfires in 2017, FEMA took 366 aid registrations from Calistoga addresses (the town has 2,166 homes).
Shared tract.All of Calistoga’s 5,228 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 Calistoga flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Calistoga, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 3 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 2 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199319951997
19932026
8
paid claims since 1993
$43K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Napa County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
5homes raised above flood level
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Calistoga

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

  1. 2020Wildfires125 households applied for aid$43K aid approved$215K to the City of Calistoga for repairs
  2. 2020Wildfires148 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
  3. 2017Wildfires366 households applied for aid$353K aid approved$306K to the City of Calistoga for repairs
  4. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$68K to the City of Calistoga for repairs
  5. 2014Earthquake3 households applied for aid$6K to the City of Calistoga for repairs
  6. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides7 households applied for aid$13K aid approved$73K to the City of Calistoga for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CalistogaNapa County only

Napa County has had 25 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 9 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Napa County, 2008–2020.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Calistoga archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Calistoga 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 Calistoga

Is Calistoga at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Calistoga has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #824 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and earthquakes (30%). 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 Calistoga flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Calistoga since 1993, $43K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Calistoga 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 Napa County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Calistoga?

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

By FEMA money that reached Calistoga, Wildfires (2017): 366 households applied for aid, $353K approved, and $306K to the City of Calistoga for repairs.

Is Calistoga at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Calistoga’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Calistoga.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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