More hazard damage per building is expected in Corte Madera than in 94% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Corte Madera gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #509 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (37%), then river and rain flooding (34%). Flood insurance has paid 127 claims here since 1981.
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 stands out about Corte Madera’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Corte Madera 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
Coastal 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 Corte Madera’s grade
Earthquakes are 37% of the building damage FEMA expects in Corte Madera, and Corte Madera’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 25%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #509 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Corte Madera’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Corte Madera has more expected damage per building than 60% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.4M a year in losses across Corte Madera: $9.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Corte Madera flood? Yes: 127 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Corte Madera, from FEMA’s records: 30.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern7 claims · $215K
- The California Atmospheric River2 claims · $92K
- The Winter storm1 claim · $3K
Corte Madera is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Marin County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Corte Madera
Disasters that paid out in Corte Madera itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Corte Madera), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$105K to the Town of Corte Madera for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$56K to the Town of Corte Madera for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$35K to the Town of Corte Madera for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides5 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$41K to the Town of Corte Madera for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
Marin 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.
Old photos of Corte Madera after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Corte Madera archive →Corte Madera and its neighbors
Corte Madera is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiburon | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Strawberry | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Mill Valley | Dmore damage than 86% | earthquakes | 144 |
| Corte Madera | Dmore damage than 94% | earthquakes | 127 |
| Larkspur | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 98 |
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 Corte Madera 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- Corte Madera residents get 20% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Corte Madera
Is Corte Madera at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Corte Madera has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #509 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (37%) and river and rain flooding (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Corte Madera flood?
Flood insurance has paid 127 claims in Corte Madera since 1981, $2.0M in all, or 30.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (7).
Is Corte Madera 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 Marin County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Corte Madera?
Corte Madera is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6), which takes 20% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Corte Madera?
By FEMA money that reached Corte Madera, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): $105K to the Town of Corte Madera for repairs. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 7 paid, $215K.
Is Corte Madera at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (37%), and Corte Madera’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Corte Madera.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Corte Madera’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.