Photo: User:Stilfehler · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Daly City than in 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Daly City gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #390 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (69%), then river and rain flooding (31%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1978.
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 Daly City’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Daly City 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 Daly City’s grade
Earthquakes are 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Daly City, and Daly City’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 31% (higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts).
D #390 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Daly City’s residents live in 23 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, Daly City has less expected damage per building than 54% of California towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Daly City has higher expected damage per building than 86% (#343 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $60.0M, is the 207th largest of those 400.
Does Daly City flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Daly City, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern1 claim · $2K
- The Mid-Winter California Flooding1 claim · $6K
Daly City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: San Mateo County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Daly City
Disasters that paid out in Daly City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Daly City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$2.0M to the City of Daly City for repairs
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides88 households applied for aid$152K aid approved$247K to the City of Daly City for repairs
- 2020Wildfires92 households applied for aid$28K aid approved$76K to the City of Daly City for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides$3K to the City of Daly City for repairs
San Mateo County has had 19 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Mateo County, 2010–2020.
Old photos of Daly City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Daly City archive →Daly City and its neighbors
Daly City is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane | Dmore damage than 90% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Daly City | Dmore damage than 92% | earthquakes | 23 |
| San Francisco | Dmore damage than 93% | earthquakes | 66 |
| Pacifica | Dmore damage than 94% | earthquakes | 76 |
| Colma | Dmore damage than 94% | earthquakes | 1 |
| South San Francisco | D−more damage than 96% | earthquakes | 76 |
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 Daly City 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 Daly City
Is Daly City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Daly City has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #390 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (69%) and river and rain flooding (31%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Daly City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Daly City since 1978, $221K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (1).
Is Daly City 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 San Mateo County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Daly City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Daly City’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 Daly City?
By FEMA money that reached Daly City, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): $2.0M to the City of Daly City for repairs. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 1 paid, $2K.
Is Daly City at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Daly City’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Daly City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Daly City’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.