Porter-Vallejo Mansion · Photo: User:Ronbo76 · CC BY 2.5FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Pajaro than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pajaro gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #775 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (64%), then river and rain flooding (36%). 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 Pajaro faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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 Pajaro’s grade
Earthquakes are 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pajaro, and Pajaro’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 36%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #775 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pajaro’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, Pajaro has more expected damage per building than 91% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.5M a year in losses across Pajaro: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pajaro flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pajaro. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pajaro isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Monterey County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Pajaro
Disasters that paid out in Pajaro itself (aid to households or repair grants to Pajaro), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides110 households applied for aid$339K aid approved
Monterey County has had 26 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Monterey County, 2008–2020.
Old photos of Pajaro after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pajaro archive →Pajaro and its neighbors
Pajaro is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 112 |
| Pajaro | D−among the highest damage | 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 Pajaro 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.
- 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 Pajaro
Is Pajaro at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pajaro has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #775 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (64%) and river and rain flooding (36%). 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 Pajaro 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 Monterey County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pajaro?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pajaro’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 Pajaro?
By FEMA money that reached Pajaro, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 110 households applied for aid, $339K approved.
Is Pajaro at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Pajaro’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pajaro.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pajaro’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.