Photo: Mike Greene · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts La Palma’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Palma gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #522 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then earthquakes (45%). 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 La Palma 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 La Palma’s grade
River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in La Palma, and La Palma’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 45%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #522 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
La Palma’s residents live in 6 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, La Palma has more expected damage per building than 62% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.8M a year in losses across La Palma: $10.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does La Palma flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in La Palma. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
La Palma 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to La Palma
Disasters that paid out in La Palma itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of La Palma), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
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.
Old photos of La Palma after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the La Palma archive →La Palma and its neighbors
La Palma is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerritos | Dmore damage than 93% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Lakewood | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Cypress | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| La Palma | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Buena Park | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
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 La Palma 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 La Palma
Is La Palma at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, La Palma has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #522 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and earthquakes (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is La Palma 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 Palma?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for La Palma’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 Palma?
By FEMA money that reached La Palma, Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides (2004): 4 households applied for aid, $2K approved.
Is La Palma at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and La Palma’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in La Palma.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where La Palma’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.