Photo: Laurie Avocado · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Hawaiian Gardens faces more hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hawaiian Gardens gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #532 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (50%), then river and rain flooding (50%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2017.
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 Hawaiian Gardens faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Hawaiian Gardens’ grade
Earthquakes are 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hawaiian Gardens, and Hawaiian Gardens’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 50%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
D #532 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hawaiian Gardens’ 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, Hawaiian Gardens has more expected damage per building than 63% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.0M a year in losses across Hawaiian Gardens: $4.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hawaiian Gardens flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hawaiian Gardens, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Hawaiian Gardens isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Los Angeles County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Hawaiian Gardens
Disasters that paid out in Hawaiian Gardens itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Hawaiian Gardens), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T13 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Los Angeles County has had 40 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 44 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Los Angeles County, 2002–2025.
Old photos of Hawaiian Gardens after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hawaiian Gardens archive →Hawaiian Gardens and its neighbors
Hawaiian Gardens 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Cypress | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Hawaiian Gardens | Dmore damage than 95% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Long Beach | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 195 |
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 Hawaiian Gardens faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Hawaiian Gardens
Is Hawaiian Gardens at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hawaiian Gardens has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #532 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (50%) and river and rain flooding (50%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Hawaiian Gardens flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Hawaiian Gardens since 2017, $11K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Hawaiian Gardens 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 Los Angeles County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hawaiian Gardens?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hawaiian Gardens’ 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 Hawaiian Gardens?
By FEMA money that reached Hawaiian Gardens, Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T (2003): 13 households applied for aid, $6K approved.
Is Hawaiian Gardens at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Hawaiian Gardens’ rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hawaiian Gardens.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hawaiian Gardens’ 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.