More hazard damage per building is expected in Mira Monte than in 97% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mira Monte gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #691 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (41%), then earthquakes (37%). Flood insurance has paid 8 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 Mira Monte 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 Mira Monte’s grade
River and rain flooding is 41% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mira Monte, and Mira Monte’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 37%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #691 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mira Monte’s residents live in 4 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, Mira Monte has more expected damage per building than 82% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.5M a year in losses across Mira Monte: $4.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mira Monte flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mira Monte, from FEMA’s records: 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern1 claim · $2K
- The California Atmospheric River1 claim · $4K
Mira Monte 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 Mira Monte remembers
None of the 32 disasters declared for Ventura County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mira Monte itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19783 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms, Mudslides and Flooding, declared for Ventura County
- 19981 flood claims paidThe year of Ca-citrus Crop Damage 2/2/99, declared for Ventura County
- 20051 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud and Debris Flows, 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 Mira Monte after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mira Monte archive →Mira Monte and its neighbors
Mira Monte is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meiners Oaks | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 7 |
| Mira Monte | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Oak View | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| 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 Mira Monte 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 Mira Monte
Is Mira Monte at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mira Monte has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #691 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (41%) and earthquakes (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mira Monte flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Mira Monte since 1978, $32K in all, or 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (1).
Is Mira Monte 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 Mira Monte?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mira Monte’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 Mira Monte?
By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 1 paid, $2K.
Is Mira Monte at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (41%), and Mira Monte’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mira Monte.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mira Monte’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.