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Orinda (7866755256) (cropped)Photo: Erica Fischer · CC BY 2.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Orinda · FEMA

FEMA puts Orinda’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 94% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orinda gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #509 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (50%), then river and rain flooding (45%). Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1993.

Earthquakes 50%River and rain flooding 45%Wildfire 4%

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 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#509 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D#509 of 847
in California · higher than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
29
paid since 1993 · $747K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 17 declared for Contra Costa County

What stands out about Orinda’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Landslides: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 1.2% of the damage it expects.Remembers 199710 flood claims were paid for 1997 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Orinda faces

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

Earthquakes

50%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

45%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire top 5% Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Lightning Volcanic activity top 5%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Orinda’s grade

Earthquakes are 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Orinda, and Orinda’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Orinda sits
Orinda
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #509 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Orinda’s residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes50%River and rain flooding45%Wildfire4%Everything else1%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Orinda has more expected damage per building than 60% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $23.7M a year in losses across Orinda: $20.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 8 census tracts by where Orinda’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 Orinda flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Orinda, from FEMA’s records: 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 2 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 3 claims1996: 4 claims1997: 10 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 2 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199519961997
19932026
29
paid claims since 1993
$747K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$26K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Orinda isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Contra Costa County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Orinda

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

  1. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides66 households applied for aid$304K aid approved$781K to the City of Orinda for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$239K to the City of Orinda for repairs
  3. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$221K to the City of Orinda for repairs
  4. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides17 households applied for aid$37K aid approved$26K to the City of Orinda for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OrindaContra Costa County only

Contra Costa County has had 17 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Orinda archive →
Next door

Orinda and its neighbors

Orinda is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Moraga: hazard risk DLafayette: hazard risk D−MoragaLafayetteOrinda
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MoragaDmore damage than 94%earthquakes2
OrindaDmore damage than 94%earthquakes29
LafayetteD−more damage than 98%river and rain flooding19

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 Orinda faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Orinda

Is Orinda at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Orinda has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #509 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (50%) and river and rain flooding (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Orinda flood?

Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Orinda since 1993, $747K in all, or 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Orinda 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 Contra Costa County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Orinda?

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

By FEMA money that reached Orinda, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 66 households applied for aid, $304K approved, and $781K to the City of Orinda for repairs.

Is Orinda at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Orinda’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Orinda.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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