Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts El Dorado Hills’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Dorado Hills gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #105 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then wildfire (32%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 2000.
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 Dorado Hills 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
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 Dorado Hills’ grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in El Dorado Hills, and El Dorado Hills’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 32%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C #105 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
El Dorado Hills’ residents live in 12 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 Dorado Hills has less expected damage per building than 88% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $23.2M a year in losses across El Dorado Hills: $21.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does El Dorado Hills flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in El Dorado Hills, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The California Atmospheric River2 claims · $15K
El Dorado Hills isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: El Dorado County.The storms El Dorado Hills remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for El Dorado County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching El Dorado Hills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20003 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20162 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20182 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
El Dorado County has had 18 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in El Dorado County, 2004–2022.
Old photos of El Dorado Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the El Dorado Hills archive →El Dorado Hills and its neighbors
El Dorado Hills is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folsom | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| El Dorado Hills | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Cameron Park | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
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 Dorado Hills 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.
- 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 Dorado Hills
Is El Dorado Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Dorado Hills has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #105 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and wildfire (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does El Dorado Hills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in El Dorado Hills since 2000, $296K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from California Atmospheric River (2).
Is El Dorado Hills 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 El Dorado County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in El Dorado Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for El Dorado Hills’ 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 Dorado Hills?
By flood claims, California Atmospheric River: 2 paid, $15K.
Is El Dorado Hills at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and El Dorado Hills’ rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in El Dorado Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where El Dorado Hills’ 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.