Photo: Ellin Beltz · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Ferndale, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ferndale gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then earthquakes (46%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.
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 stands out about Ferndale’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Ferndale 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 Ferndale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ferndale, and Ferndale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 46%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ferndale’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.0M a year in losses across Ferndale: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ferndale flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ferndale, from FEMA’s records: 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ferndale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Humboldt County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ferndale
Disasters that paid out in Ferndale itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Ferndale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$5K to the City of Ferndale for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides$43K to the City of Ferndale for repairs
Humboldt County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Ferndale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ferndale archive →Get ready for what Ferndale 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 Ferndale
Is Ferndale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ferndale has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and earthquakes (46%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ferndale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Ferndale since 1996, $20K in all, or 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ferndale 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 Humboldt County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ferndale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ferndale’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 Ferndale?
By FEMA money that reached Ferndale, Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides (2005): $43K to the City of Ferndale for repairs.
Is Ferndale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Ferndale’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ferndale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ferndale’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.