Photo: Jengod · CC BY 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Lakeside than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lakeside gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #433 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then wildfire (24%). Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Lakeside’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lakeside 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
Wildfire
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 Lakeside’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lakeside, and Lakeside’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 24%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D #433 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lakeside’s residents live in 8 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, Lakeside has more expected damage per building than 51% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.5M a year in losses across Lakeside: $10.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lakeside flood? Sometimes: 25 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lakeside, from FEMA’s records: 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 50% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern2 claims · $12K
- The California Atmospheric River1 claim · $3K
- Tropical Storm Hilary1 claim · $22K
Lakeside 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 Diego County.The storms Lakeside remembers
None of the 30 disasters declared for San Diego County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lakeside itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198012 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Mudslides and Flooding, declared for San Diego County
- 19834 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides and Tornadoes, declared for San Diego County
- 19982 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, declared for San Diego County
San Diego County has had 30 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 18 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Diego County, 2002–2018.
Old photos of Lakeside after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lakeside archive →Lakeside and its neighbors
Lakeside is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Gardens | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Lakeside | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Eucalyptus Hills | D−more damage than 96% | wildfire | 14 |
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 Lakeside 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.
- 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.
- 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 Lakeside
Is Lakeside at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lakeside has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #433 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and wildfire (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lakeside flood?
Flood insurance has paid 25 claims in Lakeside since 1979, $264K in all, or 3.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 50% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (2).
Is Lakeside 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 Diego County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lakeside?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lakeside’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 Lakeside?
By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 2 paid, $12K.
Is Lakeside at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Lakeside’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lakeside.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lakeside’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.