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New Cuyama from Cessna 172, 20250526Photo: Eric Shalov · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in New Cuyama · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in New Cuyama

New Cuyama isn’t graded for hazard risk: New Cuyama has 555 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 32 declared for Santa Barbara County
By hazard

What New Cuyama faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Landslides

79%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 44% of New Cuyama’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does New Cuyama flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in New Cuyama. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

New Cuyama 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.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to New Cuyama

Disasters that paid out in New Cuyama itself (aid to households or repair grants to New Cuyama), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides10 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in New CuyamaSanta Barbara County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of New Cuyama after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the New Cuyama archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what New Cuyama faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Landslides
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in New Cuyama

Is New Cuyama 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 New Cuyama?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for New Cuyama’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 New Cuyama?

By FEMA money that reached New Cuyama, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 10 households applied for aid, $24K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Cuyama.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where New Cuyama’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.