Photo: Grmc922 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Pleasure Point’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 93% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pleasure Point gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #433 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (42%), then tsunamis (34%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 2008.
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 Pleasure Point faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
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 Pleasure Point’s grade
Earthquakes are 42% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pleasure Point, and Pleasure Point’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 34%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #433 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pleasure Point’s residents live in 2 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, Pleasure Point has more expected damage per building than 51% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.0M a year in losses across Pleasure Point: $3.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pleasure Point flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pleasure Point, from FEMA’s records: 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The California Atmospheric River5 claims · $217K
- The December California Flooding1 claim · $20K
Pleasure Point isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Santa Cruz County.The storms Pleasure Point remembers
None of the 24 disasters declared for Santa Cruz County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pleasure Point itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20236 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Santa Cruz County
- 20081 flood claims paidThe year of Wildfires, declared for Santa Cruz County
- 20171 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County has had 24 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 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Cruz County, 2002–2020.
Old photos of Pleasure Point after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pleasure Point archive →Pleasure Point and its neighbors
Pleasure Point is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Lakes | Dmore damage than 90% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Pleasure Point | Dmore damage than 93% | earthquakes | 8 |
| Capitola | Dmore damage than 95% | earthquakes | 75 |
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 Pleasure Point 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.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- 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 Pleasure Point
Is Pleasure Point at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pleasure Point has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #433 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (42%) and tsunamis (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pleasure Point flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Pleasure Point since 2008, $256K in all, or 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from California Atmospheric River (5).
Is Pleasure Point 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 Santa Cruz County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pleasure Point?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pleasure Point’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 Pleasure Point?
By flood claims, California Atmospheric River: 5 paid, $217K.
Is Pleasure Point at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (42%), and Pleasure Point’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pleasure Point.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pleasure Point’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.