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Guadalupe, CA City Hall - panoramioPhoto: Eric Polk · CC BY 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Guadalupe · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Guadalupe than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Guadalupe gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #174 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then earthquakes (35%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 61%Earthquakes 35%Wildfire 3%

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

more than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#174 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
C−#174 of 847
in California · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
61% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 32 declared for Santa Barbara County
By hazard

What Guadalupe 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

61%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

35%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Landslides top 2% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 80% of Guadalupe’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Guadalupe’s grade

River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Guadalupe, and Guadalupe’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Guadalupe sits
Guadalupe
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #174 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Guadalupe’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding61%Earthquakes35%Wildfire3%Everything else0%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Guadalupe has less expected damage per building than 80% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.0M a year in losses across Guadalupe: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Guadalupe covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Guadalupe flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Guadalupe. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Guadalupe isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Santa Barbara County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Guadalupe

Disasters that paid out in Guadalupe itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Guadalupe), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides49 households applied for aid$176K aid approved$646K to the City of Guadalupe for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$11K to the City of Guadalupe for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$6K to the City of Guadalupe for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides$43K to the City of Guadalupe for repairs
  5. 2003Earthquake$534K to the City of Guadalupe for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GuadalupeSanta Barbara County only

Santa Barbara County has had 32 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 8 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Barbara County, 2004–2021.

Were you here?

Old photos of Guadalupe after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Guadalupe archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Guadalupe faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Guadalupe

Is Guadalupe at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Guadalupe has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #174 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and earthquakes (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Guadalupe 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 Santa Barbara County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Guadalupe?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Guadalupe’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 Guadalupe?

By FEMA money that reached Guadalupe, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 49 households applied for aid, $176K approved, and $646K to the City of Guadalupe for repairs.

Is Guadalupe at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Guadalupe’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Guadalupe.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Guadalupe’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.