Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Palm Desert than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palm Desert gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #800 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then earthquakes (26%). Flood insurance has paid 218 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Palm Desert’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Palm Desert 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
Earthquakes
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 Palm Desert’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Palm Desert, and Palm Desert’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 26%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #800 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Palm Desert’s residents live in 20 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Palm Desert has more expected damage per building than 94% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $113M a year in losses across Palm Desert: $106M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Palm Desert flood? Yes: 218 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Palm Desert, from FEMA’s records: 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Hilary1 claim · $8K
- The Winter storm1 claim · $812
Palm Desert isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Riverside County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Palm Desert
Disasters that paid out in Palm Desert itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Palm Desert), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$13K to the City of Palm Desert for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Riverside County has had 33 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 30 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Riverside County, 2003–2026.
Old photos of Palm Desert after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Palm Desert archive →Palm Desert and its neighbors
Palm Desert is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thousand Palms | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 45 |
| Indian Wells | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 54 |
| Rancho Mirage | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 69 |
| Bermuda Dunes | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Palm Desert | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 218 |
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 Palm Desert faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Palm Desert
Is Palm Desert at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palm Desert has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #800 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and earthquakes (26%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Palm Desert flood?
Flood insurance has paid 218 claims in Palm Desert since 1978, $1.8M in all, or 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Hilary (1).
Is Palm Desert 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 Riverside County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Palm Desert?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Palm Desert’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 Palm Desert?
By FEMA money that reached Palm Desert, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2019): $13K to the City of Palm Desert for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Hilary: 1 paid, $8K.
Is Palm Desert at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Palm Desert’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Palm Desert.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Palm Desert’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.