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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Clearlake Oaks · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Clearlake Oaks, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clearlake Oaks gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 84%Earthquakes 9%Wildfire 7%

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
Hazard risk
D−
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1998 · $19K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 22 declared for Lake County
By hazard

What Clearlake Oaks 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

84%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Earthquakes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Volcanic activity top 0% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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 Clearlake Oaks’ grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clearlake Oaks, and Clearlake Oaks’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 7%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Clearlake Oaks sits
Clearlake Oaks
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

Clearlake Oaks’ residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Earthquakes9%Wildfire7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Clearlake Oaks: $4.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Wildfires and High Winds in 2018, FEMA took 142 aid registrations from Clearlake Oaks addresses (the town has 1,635 homes).
A small-area figure. Clearlake Oaks covers 3 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 Clearlake Oaks flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clearlake Oaks, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 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: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820172023
19982026
Biggest named events
  • The Pineapple Express - Southern1 claim · $3K
  • The California Atmospheric River1 claim · $10K
3
paid claims since 1998
$19K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lake County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clearlake Oaks

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

  1. 2018Wildfires and High Winds142 households applied for aid$452K aid approved
  2. 2017Wildfires19 households applied for aid$3K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2015Valley Fire and Butte Fire7 households applied for aid$33K aid approved
  4. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides7 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Clearlake OaksLake County only

Lake County has had 22 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 10 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Lake County, 2004–2024.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Clearlake Oaks archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Clearlake Oaks 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Clearlake Oaks

Is Clearlake Oaks at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clearlake Oaks has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and earthquakes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Clearlake Oaks flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Clearlake Oaks since 1998, $19K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (1).

Is Clearlake Oaks 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 Lake County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Clearlake Oaks?

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

By FEMA money that reached Clearlake Oaks, Wildfires and High Winds (2018): 142 households applied for aid, $452K approved. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 1 paid, $3K.

Is Clearlake Oaks at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Clearlake Oaks’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clearlake Oaks.

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