Photo: User:Jstroudr · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Hemet than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hemet gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #726 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then earthquakes (41%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1978.
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 Hemet 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
Wildfire
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 Hemet’s grade
River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hemet, and Hemet’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 41%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #726 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hemet’s residents live in 29 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, Hemet has more expected damage per building than 86% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $76.2M a year in losses across Hemet: $63.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hemet flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hemet, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Hemet 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hemet
Disasters that paid out in Hemet itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Hemet), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$19K to the City of Hemet for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$13K to the City of Hemet for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides18 households applied for aid$22K aid approved$11K to the City of Hemet for repairs
- 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T32 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
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 Hemet after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hemet archive →Hemet and its neighbors
Hemet has the lowest expected damage per building of the 7 graded towns here. 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 |
| San Jacinto | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| East Hemet | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Winchester | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Green Acres | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Valle Vista | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | — |
| Sage | 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 Hemet 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.
- 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.
- 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 Hemet
Is Hemet at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hemet has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #726 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and earthquakes (41%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Hemet flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Hemet since 1978, $62K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Hemet 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 Hemet?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hemet’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 Hemet?
By FEMA money that reached Hemet, Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides (2004): 18 households applied for aid, $22K approved, and $11K to the City of Hemet for repairs.
Is Hemet at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Hemet’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hemet.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hemet’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.