FEMA puts Rolling Hills’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rolling Hills gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (56%), then river and rain flooding (41%). 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 Rolling Hills 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 Rolling Hills’ grade
Earthquakes are 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Rolling Hills’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Rolling Hills: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rolling Hills flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rolling Hills. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Rolling Hills isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Los Angeles County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rolling Hills
Disasters that paid out in Rolling Hills itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Rolling Hills), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud and Debris Flows$50K to the City of Rolling Hills for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Los Angeles County has had 40 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 44 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Los Angeles County, 2002–2025.
Old photos of Rolling Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rolling Hills archive →Rolling Hills and its neighbors
Rolling Hills has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Hills | C−more damage than 78% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Rolling Hills Estates | C−more damage than 81% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Rancho Palos Verdes | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 5 |
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 Rolling Hills 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 Rolling Hills
Is Rolling Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rolling Hills has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (56%) and river and rain flooding (41%). 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 Rolling Hills 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 Los Angeles County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rolling Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rolling Hills’ 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 Rolling Hills?
By FEMA money that reached Rolling Hills, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud and Debris Flows (2005): $50K to the City of Rolling Hills for repairs.
Is Rolling Hills at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Rolling Hills’ rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rolling Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rolling Hills’ 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.