Photo: Ranchomirageca · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Rancho Mirage, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rancho Mirage gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #762 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then earthquakes (26%). Flood insurance has paid 69 claims here since 1979.
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 Rancho Mirage 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 Rancho Mirage’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rancho Mirage, and Rancho Mirage’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− #762 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rancho Mirage’s residents live in 9 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, Rancho Mirage has more expected damage per building than 90% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $51.9M a year in losses across Rancho Mirage: $50.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rancho Mirage flood? Sometimes: 69 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rancho Mirage, from FEMA’s records: 4.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Hilary1 claim · $5K
Rancho Mirage 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rancho Mirage
Disasters that paid out in Rancho Mirage itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Rancho Mirage), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Tropical Storm Hilary$310K to the City of Rancho Mirage for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
- 2019Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$56K to the City of Rancho Mirage for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$30K to the City of Rancho Mirage for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$22K to the City of Rancho Mirage for repairs
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 Rancho Mirage after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rancho Mirage archive →Rancho Mirage and its neighbors
Rancho Mirage is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathedral City | Dmore damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Palm Springs | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 129 |
| Rancho Mirage | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 69 |
| 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 Rancho Mirage 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 Rancho Mirage
Is Rancho Mirage at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rancho Mirage has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #762 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 Rancho Mirage flood?
Flood insurance has paid 69 claims in Rancho Mirage since 1979, $744K in all, or 4.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Hilary (1).
Is Rancho Mirage 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 Rancho Mirage?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rancho Mirage’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 Rancho Mirage?
By FEMA money that reached Rancho Mirage, Tropical Storm Hilary (2023): $310K to the City of Rancho Mirage for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Hilary: 1 paid, $5K.
Is Rancho Mirage at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Rancho Mirage’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rancho Mirage.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rancho Mirage’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.