Frank Norris Cabin · Photo: Louis Sanchez Collection, Oakland, California · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Corralitos, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Corralitos gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (53%), then river and rain flooding (37%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Corralitos 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
Wildfire
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 Corralitos’ grade
Earthquakes are 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Corralitos, and Corralitos’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 37%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Corralitos’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.9M a year in losses across Corralitos: $3.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Corralitos flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Corralitos. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Corralitos isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Santa Cruz County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Corralitos
Disasters that paid out in Corralitos itself (aid to households or repair grants to Corralitos), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$46K aid approved
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides13 households applied for aid$216K aid approved
Santa Cruz County has had 24 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 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Cruz County, 2002–2020.
Old photos of Corralitos after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Corralitos archive →Corralitos and its neighbors
Corralitos is 6th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day Valley | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 5 |
| Amesti | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Watsonville | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 112 |
| Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 1 |
| Interlaken | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 94 |
| Corralitos | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 0 |
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 Corralitos 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.
- 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.
- 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 Corralitos
Is Corralitos at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Corralitos has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (53%) and river and rain flooding (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Corralitos 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 Santa Cruz County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Corralitos?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Corralitos’ 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 Corralitos?
By FEMA money that reached Corralitos, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 13 households applied for aid, $216K approved.
Is Corralitos at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Corralitos’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Corralitos.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Corralitos’ 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.