On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Green Acres, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Green Acres gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #816 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%), then wildfire (31%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1981.
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 Green Acres 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 Green Acres’ grade
River and rain flooding is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Green Acres, and Green Acres’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 31%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #816 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Green Acres’ residents live in 2 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, Green Acres has more expected damage per building than 96% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Green Acres: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Green Acres flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Green Acres, from FEMA’s records: 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Green Acres 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 Green Acres remembers
None of the 33 disasters declared for Riverside County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Green Acres itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Green Acres after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Green Acres archive →Green Acres and its neighbors
Green Acres 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemet | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Winchester | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Green Acres | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Homeland | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | — |
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 Green Acres 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 Green Acres
Is Green Acres at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Green Acres has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #816 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%) and wildfire (31%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Green Acres flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Green Acres since 1981, $735 in all, or 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Green Acres 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 Green Acres?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Green Acres’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Green Acres at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Green Acres’ rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Green Acres.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Green Acres’ 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.