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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Redwood Valley · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Redwood Valley, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Redwood Valley gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then earthquakes (23%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 69%Earthquakes 23%Wildfire 8%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
69% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 25 declared for Mendocino County
By hazard

What Redwood Valley 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

69%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Earthquakes

23%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Landslides top 2% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 1% Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesTsunamis

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 Redwood Valley’s grade

River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Redwood Valley, and Redwood Valley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 23%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Redwood Valley sits
Redwood Valley
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Redwood Valley’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding69%Earthquakes23%Wildfire8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Redwood Valley: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Wildfires in 2017, FEMA took 552 aid registrations from Redwood Valley addresses (the town has 711 homes).
Shared tract.All of Redwood Valley’s 1,843 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Redwood Valley flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Redwood Valley. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Mendocino County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Redwood Valley

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

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides13 households applied for aid$54K aid approved
  2. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides7 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  3. 2017Wildfires552 households applied for aid$2.5M aid approved
  4. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides25 households applied for aid$49K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Redwood ValleyMendocino County only

Mendocino County has had 25 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Mendocino County, 2017–2018.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Redwood Valley archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Redwood Valley faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 Redwood Valley

Is Redwood Valley at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Redwood Valley has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and earthquakes (23%). 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 Redwood Valley 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 Mendocino County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Redwood Valley?

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

By FEMA money that reached Redwood Valley, Wildfires (2017): 552 households applied for aid, $2.5M approved.

Is Redwood Valley at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Redwood Valley’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Redwood Valley.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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