Photo: LittleT889 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Meiners Oaks’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 97% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Meiners Oaks gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #689 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (35%), then river and rain flooding (35%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1978.
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 Meiners Oaks faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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.
What’s behind Meiners Oaks’ grade
Earthquakes are 35% of the building damage FEMA expects in Meiners Oaks, and Meiners Oaks’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 30%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #689 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Meiners Oaks’ residents live in 2 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, Meiners Oaks has more expected damage per building than 81% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Meiners Oaks: $3.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Meiners Oaks flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Meiners Oaks, from FEMA’s records: 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern1 claim · $5K
- The California Atmospheric River1 claim · $7K
Meiners Oaks isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ventura County.The storms Meiners Oaks remembers
None of the 32 disasters declared for Ventura County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Meiners Oaks itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19982 flood claims paidThe year of Ca-citrus Crop Damage 2/2/99, declared for Ventura County
- 19781 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms, Mudslides and Flooding, declared for Ventura County
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Fires, Mud/landslides, Flooding, Soil Erosion, declared for Ventura County
Ventura 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 17 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Ventura County, 2003–2026.
Old photos of Meiners Oaks after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Meiners Oaks archive →Meiners Oaks and its neighbors
Meiners Oaks 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mira Monte | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Meiners Oaks | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 7 |
| Ojai | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | 26 |
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 Meiners Oaks faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Meiners Oaks
Is Meiners Oaks at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Meiners Oaks has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #689 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (35%) and river and rain flooding (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Meiners Oaks flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Meiners Oaks since 1978, $53K in all, or 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (1).
Is Meiners Oaks 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 Ventura County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Meiners Oaks?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Meiners Oaks’ 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 Meiners Oaks?
By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 1 paid, $5K.
Is Meiners Oaks at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (35%), and Meiners Oaks’ rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Meiners Oaks.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Meiners Oaks’ 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.