FEMA puts Seacliff’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Seacliff gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #359 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (68%), then river and rain flooding (26%). Flood insurance has paid 54 claims here since 1978.
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 Seacliff 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
Tsunamis
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 Seacliff’s grade
Earthquakes are 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Seacliff, and Seacliff’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 5%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #359 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Seacliff’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Seacliff has less expected damage per building than 58% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Seacliff: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Seacliff flood? Sometimes: 54 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Seacliff, from FEMA’s records: 26.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The California Atmospheric River7 claims · $652K
- The Pineapple Express - Southern3 claims · $49K
Seacliff isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Santa Cruz County.The storms Seacliff remembers
None of the 24 disasters declared for Santa Cruz County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Seacliff itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198317 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides and Tornadoes, declared for Santa Cruz County
- 19808 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Mudslides and Flooding, declared for Santa Cruz County
- 19828 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Santa Cruz County has had 24 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 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Cruz County, 2002–2020.
Old photos of Seacliff after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Seacliff archive →Seacliff and its neighbors
Seacliff is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio del Mar | Dmore damage than 91% | earthquakes | 29 |
| Seacliff | Dmore damage than 91% | earthquakes | 54 |
| Capitola | Dmore damage than 95% | earthquakes | 75 |
| Aptos | Dmore damage than 95% | earthquakes | — |
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 Seacliff 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.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- 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 Seacliff
Is Seacliff at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Seacliff has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #359 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (68%) and river and rain flooding (26%). 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 Seacliff flood?
Flood insurance has paid 54 claims in Seacliff since 1978, $980K in all, or 26.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from California Atmospheric River (7).
Is Seacliff 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 Santa Cruz County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Seacliff?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Seacliff’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 Seacliff?
By flood claims, California Atmospheric River: 7 paid, $652K.
Is Seacliff at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Seacliff’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Seacliff.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Seacliff’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.