FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in East Foothills than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Foothills gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #539 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (70%), then river and rain flooding (28%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1983.
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 East Foothills 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 East Foothills’ grade
Earthquakes are 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in East Foothills, and East Foothills’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D #539 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
East Foothills’ 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, East Foothills has more expected damage per building than 64% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.9M a year in losses across East Foothills: $4.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does East Foothills flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in East Foothills, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
East Foothills 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 Clara County.The storms East Foothills remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Santa Clara County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching East Foothills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19831 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides and Tornadoes, declared for Santa Clara County
- 19861 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Santa Clara County
Santa Clara 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Clara County, 2002–2020.
Old photos of East Foothills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the East Foothills archive →East Foothills and its neighbors
East Foothills is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 East Foothills 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 East Foothills
Is East Foothills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Foothills has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #539 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (70%) and river and rain flooding (28%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does East Foothills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in East Foothills since 1983, $9K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is East Foothills 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 Clara County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in East Foothills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for East Foothills’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is East Foothills at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and East Foothills’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in East Foothills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where East Foothills’ 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.