Valencia Hall · Photo: Mrwrite · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Day Valley than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Day Valley gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #670 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (58%), then river and rain flooding (33%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1982.
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 Day Valley 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 Day Valley’s grade
Earthquakes are 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Day Valley, and Day Valley’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 8%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #670 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Day Valley’s residents live in 4 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, Day Valley has more expected damage per building than 79% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.8M a year in losses across Day Valley: $3.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Day Valley flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Day Valley, from FEMA’s records: 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern1 claim · $29K
Day Valley 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.The storms Day Valley remembers
None of the 24 disasters declared for Santa Cruz County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Day Valley itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19823 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19981 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, declared for Santa Cruz County
- 20001 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Day Valley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Day Valley archive →Day Valley and its neighbors
Day Valley is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aptos | Dmore damage than 95% | earthquakes | — |
| Day Valley | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 5 |
| Watsonville | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 112 |
| Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 1 |
| Corralitos | D−among the highest damage | 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 Day Valley 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 Day Valley
Is Day Valley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Day Valley has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #670 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (58%) and river and rain flooding (33%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Day Valley flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Day Valley since 1982, $46K in all, or 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (1).
Is Day Valley 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 Day Valley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Day Valley’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 Day Valley?
By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 1 paid, $29K.
Is Day Valley at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Day Valley’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Day Valley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Day Valley’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.