Photo: Damian Gadal · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Los Olivos than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by landslides
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Los Olivos gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is landslides (39%), then river and rain flooding (30%). 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 Los Olivos faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Landslides
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 Los Olivos’ grade
Landslides are 39% of the building damage FEMA expects in Los Olivos, and Los Olivos’ rate of landslides damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 30%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Los Olivos’ residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.8M a year in losses across Los Olivos: $4.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Los Olivos flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Los Olivos. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Los Olivos 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 Barbara County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Los Olivos
Disasters that paid out in Los Olivos itself (aid to households or repair grants to Los Olivos), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
Santa Barbara County has had 32 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 8 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Barbara County, 2004–2021.
Old photos of Los Olivos after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Los Olivos archive →Los Olivos and its neighbors
Los Olivos has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Olivos | D−among the highest damage | landslides | 0 |
| Ballard | — | 863 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 Los Olivos faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Los Olivos
Is Los Olivos at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Los Olivos has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is landslides (39%) and river and rain flooding (30%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Los Olivos 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 Barbara County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Los Olivos?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Los Olivos’ 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 Los Olivos?
By FEMA money that reached Los Olivos, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 5 households applied for aid, $10K approved.
Is Los Olivos at risk from landslides?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (39%), and Los Olivos’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Los Olivos.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Los Olivos’ 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.