On FEMA’s figures, El Segundo faces more hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Segundo gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #581 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (55%), then river and rain flooding (45%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1997.
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 Segundo 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 El Segundo’s grade
Earthquakes are 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in El Segundo, and El Segundo’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 45%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #581 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
El Segundo’s residents live in 5 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 Segundo has more expected damage per building than 69% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $27.7M a year in losses across El Segundo: $23.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does El Segundo flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in El Segundo, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern2 claims · $3K
El Segundo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Los Angeles County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to El Segundo
Disasters that paid out in El Segundo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of El Segundo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Wildfires and Straight-line Winds37 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
- 2024Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$341K to the City of El Segundo for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$35K to the City of El Segundo for repairs
- 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T1 households applied for aid$799 aid approved
Los Angeles County has had 40 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 44 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Los Angeles County, 2002–2025.
Old photos of El Segundo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the El Segundo archive →El Segundo and its neighbors
El Segundo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan Beach | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| El Segundo | D−more damage than 95% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Los Angeles | D−more damage than 96% | earthquakes | 1,980 |
| Del Aire | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hawthorne | D−more damage than 98% | 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 El Segundo 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 El Segundo
Is El Segundo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Segundo has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #581 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (55%) and river and rain flooding (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does El Segundo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in El Segundo since 1997, $4K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (2).
Is El Segundo 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 Los Angeles County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in El Segundo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for El Segundo’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 Segundo?
By FEMA money that reached El Segundo, Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2024): $341K to the City of El Segundo for repairs. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 2 paid, $3K.
Is El Segundo at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and El Segundo’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in El Segundo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where El Segundo’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.