More hazard damage per building is expected in Garnet than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Garnet gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #680 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then earthquakes (47%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2019.
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 Garnet 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 Garnet’s grade
River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Garnet, and Garnet’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 47%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #680 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Garnet’s residents live in 4 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, Garnet has more expected damage per building than 80% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.9M a year in losses across Garnet: $3.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Garnet flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2019
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Garnet, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Garnet 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 Garnet remembers
None of the 33 disasters declared for Riverside County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Garnet itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20191 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, 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 Garnet after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Garnet archive →Garnet and its neighbors
Garnet is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathedral City | Dmore damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Desert Hot Springs | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Garnet | D−more damage than 97% | 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 Garnet 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 Garnet
Is Garnet at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Garnet has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #680 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and earthquakes (47%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Garnet flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Garnet since 2019, $17K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Garnet 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 Garnet?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Garnet’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Garnet at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Garnet’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Garnet.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Garnet’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.