FEMA puts Menifee’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Menifee gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #705 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then earthquakes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2014.
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 Menifee 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.
What’s behind Menifee’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Menifee, and Menifee’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 9%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #705 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Menifee’s residents live in 25 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, Menifee has more expected damage per building than 83% of California towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Menifee has higher expected damage per building than 98% (#391 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $76.5M, is the 155th largest of those 400.
Does Menifee flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2014
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Menifee, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The February California Atmospheric River1 claim · $11K
Menifee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Riverside County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Menifee
Disasters that paid out in Menifee itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Menifee), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$4K to the City of Menifee for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$306K to the City of Menifee for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$20K to the City of Menifee for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$5K to the City of Menifee for repairs
Riverside County has had 33 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 30 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Riverside County, 2003–2026.
Old photos of Menifee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Menifee archive →Menifee and its neighbors
Menifee is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murrieta | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Canyon Lake | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Perris | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Romoland | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Menifee | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Lake Elsinore | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 208 |
| Wildomar | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Menifee 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 Menifee
Is Menifee at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Menifee has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #705 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and earthquakes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Menifee flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Menifee since 2014, $56K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from February California Atmospheric River (1).
Is Menifee 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 Riverside County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Menifee?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Menifee’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 Menifee?
By FEMA money that reached Menifee, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2017): $306K to the City of Menifee for repairs. By flood claims, February California Atmospheric River: 1 paid, $11K.
Is Menifee at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Menifee’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Menifee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Menifee’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.