Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to San Juan Bautista

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
San Juan Bautista, CA USA - Old Mission SJB - panoramio (62) (cropped)Photo: MARELBU · CC BY 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in San Juan Bautista · FEMA

FEMA puts San Juan Bautista’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Juan Bautista gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (55%), then river and rain flooding (35%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1983.

Earthquakes 55%River and rain flooding 35%Wildfire 9%

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

more than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in California · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 1983 · $35K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 15 declared for San Benito County
By hazard

What San Juan Bautista faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

55%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

35%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Wildfire

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 San Juan Bautista’s grade

Earthquakes are 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in San Juan Bautista, and San Juan Bautista’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 9%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where San Juan Bautista sits
San Juan Bautista
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of San Juan Bautista’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes55%River and rain flooding35%Wildfire9%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across San Juan Bautista: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of San Juan Bautista’s 2,089 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 San Juan Bautista flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1983

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in San Juan Bautista, from FEMA’s records: 8.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 5 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198319951998
19832026
Biggest named events
  • The Pineapple Express - Southern5 claims · $34K
7
paid claims since 1983
$35K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: San Benito County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to San Juan Bautista

Disasters that paid out in San Juan Bautista itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of San Juan Bautista), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides57 households applied for aid$176K aid approved
  2. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$29K to the City of San Juan Bautista for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in San Juan BautistaSan Benito County only

San Benito County has had 15 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the San Juan Bautista archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what San Juan Bautista faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 San Juan Bautista

Is San Juan Bautista at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Juan Bautista has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (55%) and river and rain flooding (35%). 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.

Does San Juan Bautista flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in San Juan Bautista since 1983, $35K in all, or 8.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (5).

Is San Juan Bautista 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 San Benito County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in San Juan Bautista?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for San Juan Bautista’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 Juan Bautista?

By FEMA money that reached San Juan Bautista, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 57 households applied for aid, $176K approved. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 5 paid, $34K.

Is San Juan Bautista at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and San Juan Bautista’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in San Juan Bautista.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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