On FEMA’s figures, Granite Hills faces more hazard damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Granite Hills gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #216 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then wildfire (29%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2004.
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 Granite 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
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 Granite Hills’ grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Granite Hills, and Granite Hills’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 29%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #216 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Granite Hills’ residents live in 3 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, Granite Hills has less expected damage per building than 75% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Granite Hills: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Granite Hills flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Granite Hills, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Granite 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: San Diego County.The storms Granite Hills remembers
None of the 30 disasters declared for San Diego County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Granite Hills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides, declared for San Diego County
- 20161 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
San Diego County has had 30 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 18 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Diego County, 2002–2018.
Old photos of Granite Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Granite Hills archive →Granite Hills and its neighbors
Granite Hills is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho San Diego | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| El Cajon | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Granite Hills | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Crest | D−more damage than 98% | wildfire | 2 |
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 Granite 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.
- 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 Granite Hills
Is Granite Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Granite Hills has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #216 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and wildfire (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Granite Hills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Granite Hills since 2004, $56K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Granite 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 San Diego County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Granite Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Granite Hills’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Granite Hills at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Granite Hills’ rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Granite Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Granite 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.