More hazard damage per building is expected in Cudahy than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cudahy gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #216 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (90%). 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 Cudahy 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 Cudahy’s grade
Earthquakes are 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cudahy, and Cudahy’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 10% (lower than 98% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #216 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cudahy’s residents live in 6 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, Cudahy has less expected damage per building than 75% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.9M a year in losses across Cudahy: $4.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cudahy flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cudahy. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cudahy isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Los Angeles County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Cudahy
Disasters that paid out in Cudahy itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Cudahy), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Los Angeles County has had 40 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 44 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Los Angeles County, 2002–2025.
Old photos of Cudahy after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cudahy archive →Cudahy and its neighbors
Cudahy has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cudahy | C−more damage than 85% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Bell | Dmore damage than 86% | earthquakes | — |
| South Gate | Dmore damage than 90% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Huntington Park | Dmore damage than 90% | earthquakes | — |
| Bell Gardens | Dmore damage than 92% | earthquakes | — |
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 Cudahy 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 Cudahy
Is Cudahy at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cudahy has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #216 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (90%) and river and rain flooding (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Cudahy 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 Los Angeles County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cudahy?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cudahy’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 Cudahy?
By FEMA money that reached Cudahy, Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides (2004): 2 households applied for aid, $4K approved.
Is Cudahy at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Cudahy’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cudahy.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cudahy’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.