Cabot's Old Indian Pueblo Museum · Photo: Jllm06 · CC0FEMA puts Desert Hot Springs’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Desert Hot Springs gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #645 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then earthquakes (46%). Flood insurance has paid 13 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 Desert Hot Springs faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
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 Desert Hot Springs’ grade
River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Desert Hot Springs, and Desert Hot Springs’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 46%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #645 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Desert Hot Springs’ residents live in 9 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, Desert Hot Springs has more expected damage per building than 76% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $18.4M a year in losses across Desert Hot Springs: $14.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Desert Hot Springs flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Desert Hot Springs, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Hilary1 claim · $34K
Desert Hot Springs isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Riverside County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Desert Hot Springs
Disasters that paid out in Desert Hot Springs itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Desert Hot Springs), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Tropical Storm Hilary$877K to the City of Desert Hot Springs for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $34K
- 2019Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$29K to the City of Desert Hot Springs for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$69K to the City of Desert Hot Springs for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$323K to the City of Desert Hot Springs for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$42K to the City of Desert Hot Springs for repairs
Riverside County has had 33 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 30 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Riverside County, 2003–2026.
Old photos of Desert Hot Springs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Desert Hot Springs archive →Desert Hot Springs and its neighbors
Desert Hot Springs is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathedral City | Dmore damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Palm Springs | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 129 |
| Desert Hot Springs | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Garnet | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Desert Hot Springs faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Desert Hot Springs
Is Desert Hot Springs at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Desert Hot Springs has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #645 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and earthquakes (46%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Desert Hot Springs flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Desert Hot Springs since 1978, $98K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Hilary (1).
Is Desert Hot Springs 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 Riverside County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Desert Hot Springs?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Desert Hot Springs’ 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 Desert Hot Springs?
By FEMA money that reached Desert Hot Springs, Tropical Storm Hilary (2023): $877K to the City of Desert Hot Springs for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Hilary: 1 paid, $34K.
Is Desert Hot Springs at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Desert Hot Springs’ rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Desert Hot Springs.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Desert Hot Springs’ 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.