Photo: Stacey Baca · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Lafayette faces more hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lafayette gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #700 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then earthquakes (37%). Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1980.
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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette’s grade
River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lafayette, and Lafayette’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 37%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #700 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lafayette’s residents live in 10 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, Lafayette has more expected damage per building than 83% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $36.0M a year in losses across Lafayette: $32.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lafayette flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lafayette, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern3 claims · $4K
- The Winter storm1 claim · $46K
Lafayette isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Contra Costa County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lafayette
Disasters that paid out in Lafayette itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lafayette), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides76 households applied for aid$431K aid approved$205K to the City of Lafayette for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$32K to the City of Lafayette for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides20 households applied for aid$46K aid approved$39K to the City of Lafayette for repairs
Contra Costa County has had 17 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 Lafayette after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lafayette archive →Lafayette and its neighbors
Lafayette is 6th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reliez Valley | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Acalanes Ridge | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Moraga | Dmore damage than 94% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Orinda | Dmore damage than 94% | earthquakes | 29 |
| Walnut Creek | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 67 |
| Lafayette | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Saranap | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette
Is Lafayette at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lafayette has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #700 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and earthquakes (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lafayette flood?
Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Lafayette since 1980, $173K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (3).
Is Lafayette 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 Contra Costa County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lafayette?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lafayette’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 Lafayette?
By FEMA money that reached Lafayette, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 76 households applied for aid, $431K approved, and $205K to the City of Lafayette for repairs. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 3 paid, $4K.
Is Lafayette at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Lafayette’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lafayette.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lafayette’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.