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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in La Habra · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in La Habra than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Habra gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #640 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then earthquakes (47%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 53%Earthquakes 47%

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

more than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#640 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#640 of 847
in California · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
53% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1998 · $21K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 27 declared for Orange County
By hazard

What La Habra 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

53%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

47%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts earthquakes at 56% of La Habra’s expected losses. Earthquakes do little damage to buildings (46.6%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 La Habra’s grade

River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in La Habra, and La Habra’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 47%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where La Habra sits
La Habra
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #640 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

La Habra’s residents live in 17 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding53%Earthquakes47%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, La Habra has more expected damage per building than 76% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $45.7M a year in losses across La Habra: $37.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 17 census tracts by where La Habra’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does La Habra flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in La Habra, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 3 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820102017
19982026
Biggest named events
  • The Pineapple Express - Southern3 claims · $10K
  • The Winter storm1 claim · $632
6
paid claims since 1998
$21K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Orange County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to La Habra

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

  1. 2017Wildfires27 households applied for aid$1K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$7K to the City of La Habra for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2008Wildfires$12K to the City of La Habra for repairs
  4. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud and Debris Flows$4K to the City of La Habra for repairs
  5. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides63 households applied for aid$38K aid approved$89K to the City of La Habra for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in La HabraOrange County only

Orange County has had 27 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 11 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Orange County, 2002–2022.

Were you here?

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

Add to the La Habra archive →
Next door

La Habra and its neighbors

La Habra is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Fullerton: hazard risk DBrea: hazard risk DFullertonBreaLa Habra
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
FullertonDmore damage than 93%earthquakes10
BreaDmore damage than 93%earthquakes1
La HabraD−more damage than 96%river and rain flooding6

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what La Habra 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 ↗
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 La Habra

Is La Habra at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Habra has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #640 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 La Habra flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in La Habra since 1998, $21K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (3).

Is La Habra 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 Orange County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in La Habra?

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

By FEMA money that reached La Habra, Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides (2004): 63 households applied for aid, $38K approved, and $89K to the City of La Habra for repairs. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 3 paid, $10K.

Is La Habra at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and La Habra’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in La Habra.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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