FEMA puts El Cerrito’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Cerrito gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #387 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then earthquakes (40%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1993.
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 El Cerrito 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
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 El Cerrito’s grade
River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in El Cerrito, and El Cerrito’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 40%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D #387 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
El Cerrito’s residents live in 2 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, El Cerrito has less expected damage per building than 54% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across El Cerrito: $3.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does El Cerrito flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in El Cerrito, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Winter storm1 claim · $17K
El Cerrito 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.The storms El Cerrito remembers
None of the 33 disasters declared for Riverside County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching El Cerrito itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20102 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows, declared for Riverside County
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Fires, Mud/landslides, Flooding, Soil Erosion, declared for Riverside County
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 El Cerrito after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the El Cerrito archive →El Cerrito and its neighbors
El Cerrito has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Cerrito | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Corona | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
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 El Cerrito 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.
- 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 El Cerrito
Is El Cerrito at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Cerrito has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #387 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and earthquakes (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does El Cerrito flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in El Cerrito since 1993, $17K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Winter storm (1).
Is El Cerrito 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 El Cerrito?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for El Cerrito’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 El Cerrito?
By flood claims, Winter storm: 1 paid, $17K.
Is El Cerrito at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and El Cerrito’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in El Cerrito.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where El Cerrito’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.