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Nipomo - September 2023 - Sarah Stierch 15Photo: Missvain · CC BY 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Nipomo · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Nipomo than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nipomo gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #160 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then earthquakes (29%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2001.

River and rain flooding 67%Earthquakes 29%Wildfire 3%

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

more than 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#160 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
C−#160 of 847
in California · higher than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
67% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2001 · $146K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 23 declared for San Luis Obispo County
By hazard

What Nipomo 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

67%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Earthquakes

29%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Coastal flooding Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Tsunamis top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 10% of Nipomo’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Nipomo’s grade

River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Nipomo, and Nipomo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Nipomo sits
Nipomo
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #160 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Nipomo’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding67%Earthquakes29%Wildfire3%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Nipomo has less expected damage per building than 81% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.5M a year in losses across Nipomo: $5.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 7 census tracts by where Nipomo’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Nipomo flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2001

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Nipomo, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200120062023
20012026
Biggest named events
  • The California Atmospheric River1 claim · $101K
3
paid claims since 2001
$146K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$49K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Nipomo 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 Luis Obispo County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Nipomo

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

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides19 households applied for aid$43K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides98 households applied for aid$121K aid approved
  3. 2003Earthquake15 households applied for aid$32K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NipomoSan Luis Obispo County only

San Luis Obispo County has had 23 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Luis Obispo County, 2016–2016.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Nipomo archive →
Next door

Nipomo and its neighbors

Nipomo has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Woodlands: hazard risk DBlacklake: not gradedWoodlandsBlacklakeNipomo
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
NipomoC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding3
WoodlandsDmore damage than 87%river and rain flooding—
Blacklake—983 residents; we grade 1,000+

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Nipomo faces

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

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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Nipomo

Is Nipomo at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nipomo has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #160 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and earthquakes (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Nipomo flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Nipomo since 2001, $146K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from California Atmospheric River (1).

Is Nipomo 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 Luis Obispo County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Nipomo?

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

By FEMA money that reached Nipomo, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 98 households applied for aid, $121K approved. By flood claims, California Atmospheric River: 1 paid, $101K.

Is Nipomo at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Nipomo’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nipomo.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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