Storms, floods and disasters in Lompico
Lompico isn’t graded for hazard risk: Lompico has 788 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1980.
What Lompico 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
Wildfire
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.
Does Lompico flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lompico, from FEMA’s records.
- The California Atmospheric River4 claims · $187K
- The Pineapple Express - Southern2 claims · $18K
Lompico isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Santa Cruz County.The storms Lompico remembers
None of the 24 disasters declared for Santa Cruz County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lompico itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19827 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19982 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms and Flooding, declared for Santa Cruz County
- 20222 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County has had 24 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 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Cruz County, 2002–2020.
Old photos of Lompico after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lompico archive →Lompico and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Lomond | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 48 |
| Zayante | — | 399 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Lompico 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.
- 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.
- 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 Lompico
Does Lompico flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Lompico since 1980, $300K in all. The most claims came from California Atmospheric River (4).
Is Lompico 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 Santa Cruz County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lompico?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lompico’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 Lompico?
By flood claims, California Atmospheric River: 4 paid, $187K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lompico.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lompico’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.