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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in La Honda · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in La Honda than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Honda 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 (34%), then earthquakes (30%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 34%Earthquakes 30%Landslides 28%

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
34% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 19 declared for San Mateo County

What stands out about La Honda’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Wildfire: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for wildfire here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 6.8% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way10 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 1 flood-prone home bought out and moved with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What La Honda 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

34%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

30%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Landslides

28%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tsunamis top 1% Coastal flooding Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 12% of La Honda’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Honda’s grade

River and rain flooding is 34% of the building damage FEMA expects in La Honda, and La Honda’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 30%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where La Honda sits
La Honda
Least damageMiddleMost damage

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

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding34%Earthquakes30%Landslides28%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across La Honda: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of La Honda’s 979 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Pescadero CDP (595 residents) and Loma Mar CDP (134 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 La Honda flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: San Mateo County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
10flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1flood-prone home bought out and moved
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to La Honda

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

  1. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides21 households applied for aid$96K aid approved
  2. 2020Wildfires34 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in La HondaSan Mateo County only

San Mateo County has had 19 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Mateo County, 2010–2020.

Were you here?

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

Add to the La Honda archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what La Honda 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 ↗
Landslides
  • 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.
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 ↗
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 Honda

Is La Honda at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Honda 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 (34%) and earthquakes (30%). 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 La Honda 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 San Mateo County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in La Honda?

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

By FEMA money that reached La Honda, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 21 households applied for aid, $96K approved.

Is La Honda at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (34%), and La Honda’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in La Honda.

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