Estudillo House · Photo: Mike Fitzpatrick from Annapolis, Maryland, USA · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in San Jacinto than in 98% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Jacinto gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #749 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (43%), then earthquakes (35%). Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1980.
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 San Jacinto’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What San Jacinto 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
Wildfire
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 San Jacinto’s grade
River and rain flooding is 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in San Jacinto, and San Jacinto’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 35%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #749 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
San Jacinto’s residents live in 16 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, San Jacinto has more expected damage per building than 88% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $46.0M a year in losses across San Jacinto: $38.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does San Jacinto flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in San Jacinto, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
San Jacinto 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 San Jacinto
Disasters that paid out in San Jacinto itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of San Jacinto), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$47K to the City of San Jacinto for repairs
- 2007Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, and Debris Flows55 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides13 households applied for aid$16K aid approved
- 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T1 households applied for aid$396 aid approved
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 San Jacinto after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the San Jacinto archive →San Jacinto and its neighbors
San Jacinto is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemet | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| San Jacinto | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
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 San Jacinto 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.
- 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.
- 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 San Jacinto
Is San Jacinto at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Jacinto has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #749 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (43%) and earthquakes (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does San Jacinto flood?
Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in San Jacinto since 1980, $124K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is San Jacinto 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 San Jacinto?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for San Jacinto’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 San Jacinto?
By FEMA money that reached San Jacinto, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows (2010): $47K to the City of San Jacinto for repairs.
Is San Jacinto at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and San Jacinto’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in San Jacinto.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where San Jacinto’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.