Photo: Sallyrob at English Wikipedia · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Moss Beach faces more hazard damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moss Beach gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #479 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (39%), then tsunamis (38%). 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 Moss Beach faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
River and rain flooding
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 Moss Beach’s grade
Earthquakes are 39% of the building damage FEMA expects in Moss Beach, and Moss Beach’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 38%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #479 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Moss Beach’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Moss Beach has more expected damage per building than 57% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.0M a year in losses across Moss Beach: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Moss Beach flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Moss Beach. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Moss Beach isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: San Mateo County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Moss Beach
Disasters that paid out in Moss Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to Moss Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides22 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2020Wildfires4 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
San Mateo County has had 19 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Mateo County, 2010–2020.
Old photos of Moss Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Moss Beach archive →Moss Beach and its neighbors
Moss Beach is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Granada | Dmore damage than 92% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Montara | Dmore damage than 94% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Moss Beach | Dmore damage than 94% | earthquakes | 0 |
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 Moss Beach 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.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- 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.
- 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 Moss Beach
Is Moss Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moss Beach has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #479 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (39%) and tsunamis (38%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Moss Beach 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 San Mateo County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Moss Beach?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Moss Beach’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 Moss Beach?
By FEMA money that reached Moss Beach, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 22 households applied for aid, $4K approved.
Is Moss Beach at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (39%), and Moss Beach’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Moss Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Moss Beach’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.