Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Inglewood faces more hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Inglewood gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #586 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then earthquakes (47%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1980.
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 Inglewood 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
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 Inglewood’s grade
River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Inglewood, and Inglewood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 47%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #586 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Inglewood’s residents live in 30 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, Inglewood has more expected damage per building than 69% of California towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Inglewood has higher expected damage per building than 92% (#370 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $60.2M, is the 205th largest of those 400.
Does Inglewood flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Inglewood, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern2 claims · $4K
Inglewood 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Inglewood
Disasters that paid out in Inglewood itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Inglewood), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Wildfires and Straight-line Winds760 households applied for aid$409K aid approved
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$34K to the City of Inglewood for repairs
- 2008Wildfires24 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2007Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, and Debris Flows29 households applied for aid$913 aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides615 households applied for aid$187K aid approved$53K to the City of Inglewood for repairs
- 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T532 households applied for aid$116K 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 Inglewood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Inglewood archive →Inglewood and its neighbors
Inglewood is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westmont | Dmore damage than 88% | earthquakes | — |
| Ladera Heights | Dmore damage than 90% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Inglewood | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Los Angeles | D−more damage than 96% | earthquakes | 1,980 |
| Hawthorne | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lennox | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Inglewood 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.
- 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 Inglewood
Is Inglewood at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Inglewood has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #586 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and earthquakes (47%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Inglewood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Inglewood since 1980, $11K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (2).
Is Inglewood 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 Inglewood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Inglewood’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 Inglewood?
By FEMA money that reached Inglewood, Wildfires and Straight-line Winds (2025): 760 households applied for aid, $409K approved. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 2 paid, $4K.
Is Inglewood at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Inglewood’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Inglewood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Inglewood’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.