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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hoopa · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Hoopa than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hoopa gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then wildfire (17%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 72%Wildfire 17%Earthquakes 10%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 23 declared for Humboldt County
By hazard

What Hoopa 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

72%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 0%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Hoopa’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hoopa, and Hoopa’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 17%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hoopa sits
Hoopa
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Hoopa’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Wildfire17%Earthquakes10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Hoopa: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hoopa’s 3,167 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Hoopa flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hoopa. 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

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

Insurance rates: Humboldt County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Hoopa

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

  1. 479 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HoopaHumboldt County only

Humboldt County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hoopa archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hoopa 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
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 Hoopa

Is Hoopa at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hoopa has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and wildfire (17%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Hoopa 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 Humboldt County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hoopa?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hoopa, (): 479 households applied for aid, $2.1M approved.

Is Hoopa at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Hoopa’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hoopa.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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