Point Reyes Lifeboat Rescue Station, 1927 · Photo: Evan1007 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Inverness than in 97% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Inverness gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (49%), then river and rain flooding (33%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Inverness 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
Wildfire
Landslides
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 Inverness’ grade
Earthquakes are 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Inverness, and Inverness’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 8%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Inverness’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Inverness: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Inverness flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Inverness. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Inverness isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Marin County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Inverness
Disasters that paid out in Inverness itself (aid to households or repair grants to Inverness), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides4 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
Marin County has had 22 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.
Old photos of Inverness after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Inverness archive →Inverness and its neighbors
Inverness has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inverness | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Point Reyes Station | — | 517 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Inverness 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.
- 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.
- Watch for new cracks, tilting trees or suddenly muddy streams after heavy rain.
- Stay off steep slopes in a downpour.
- Leave if you hear rumbling upslope.
- 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 Inverness
Is Inverness at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Inverness has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (49%) and river and rain flooding (33%). 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 Inverness 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 Marin County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Inverness?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Inverness’ 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 Inverness?
By FEMA money that reached Inverness, Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides (2005): 4 households applied for aid, $11K approved.
Is Inverness at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Inverness’ rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Inverness.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Inverness’ 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.