On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Interlaken, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Interlaken gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #792 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (72%), then river and rain flooding (24%). Flood insurance has paid 94 claims here since 1982.
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 Interlaken 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 Interlaken’s grade
Earthquakes are 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Interlaken, and Interlaken’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #792 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Interlaken’s 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, Interlaken has more expected damage per building than 93% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $18.7M a year in losses across Interlaken: $9.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Interlaken flood? Sometimes: 94 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Interlaken, from FEMA’s records: 47.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The California Atmospheric River62 claims · $3.0M
- The Pineapple Express - Southern6 claims · $89K
Interlaken 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 Cruz County.The storms Interlaken remembers
None of the 24 disasters declared for Santa Cruz County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Interlaken itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 202231 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Santa Cruz County
- 202331 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Santa Cruz County
- 200010 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Santa Cruz County has had 24 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 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Cruz County, 2002–2020.
Old photos of Interlaken after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Interlaken archive →Interlaken and its neighbors
Interlaken is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amesti | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Watsonville | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 112 |
| Corralitos | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | — |
| Interlaken | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 94 |
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 Interlaken 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 Interlaken
Is Interlaken at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Interlaken has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #792 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (72%) and river and rain flooding (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Interlaken flood?
Flood insurance has paid 94 claims in Interlaken since 1982, $3.4M in all, or 47.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from California Atmospheric River (62).
Is Interlaken 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 Cruz County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Interlaken?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Interlaken’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 Interlaken?
By flood claims, California Atmospheric River: 62 paid, $3.0M.
Is Interlaken at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Interlaken’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Interlaken.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Interlaken’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.