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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in North El Monte · FEMA

FEMA puts North El Monte’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, North El Monte gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #734 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then earthquakes (38%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 62%Earthquakes 38%

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 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#734 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#734 of 847
in California · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
62% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 40 declared for Los Angeles County
By hazard

What North El 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

62%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

38%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts earthquakes at 46% of North El Monte’s expected losses. Earthquakes do little damage to buildings (37.7%), 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 North El Monte’s grade

River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in North El Monte, and North El Monte’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 38%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where North El Monte sits
North El Monte
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #734 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of North El Monte’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding62%Earthquakes38%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, North El Monte has more expected damage per building than 87% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across North El Monte: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of North El Monte’s 3,730 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does North El Monte flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in North El Monte. 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

North El 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: Los Angeles County.
Disasters

The storms North El Monte remembers

None of the 40 disasters declared for Los Angeles County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching North El Monte itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in North El MonteLos Angeles County only

Los Angeles County has had 40 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 44 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Los Angeles County, 2002–2025.

Next door

North El Monte and its neighbors

North El Monte is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

El Monte: hazard risk D−Arcadia: hazard risk D−Temple City: hazard risk D−El MonteArcadiaTemple CityNorth El Monte
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ArcadiaD−more damage than 96%river and rain flooding5
El MonteD−more damage than 96%river and rain flooding1
Temple CityD−more damage than 98%river and rain flooding—
North El MonteD−more damage than 98%river and rain flooding0

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 North El 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.

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 North El Monte

Is North El Monte at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, North El Monte has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #734 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and earthquakes (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 North El 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 Los Angeles County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in North El Monte?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for North El Monte’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is North El Monte at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and North El Monte’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in North El Monte.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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