Photo: Stephen Gold · Public domainMore hazard damage per building is expected in Sebastopol than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sebastopol gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #581 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (51%), then river and rain flooding (47%). Flood insurance has paid 50 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 stands out about Sebastopol’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Sebastopol 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 Sebastopol’s grade
Earthquakes are 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sebastopol, and Sebastopol’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #581 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sebastopol’s residents live in 4 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, Sebastopol has more expected damage per building than 69% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.8M a year in losses across Sebastopol: $7.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sebastopol flood? Sometimes: 50 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sebastopol, from FEMA’s records: 14.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern3 claims · $12K
Sebastopol isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sonoma County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sebastopol
Disasters that paid out in Sebastopol itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sebastopol), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Wildfires58 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2019Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$254K to the City of Sebastopol for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
- 2017Wildfires126 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$10K to the City of Sebastopol for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides35 households applied for aid$71K aid approved$31K to the City of Sebastopol for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Sonoma 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 8 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Sonoma County, 2004–2020.
Old photos of Sebastopol after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sebastopol archive →Sebastopol and its neighbors
Sebastopol has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastopol | D−more damage than 95% | earthquakes | 50 |
| Santa Rosa | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
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 Sebastopol 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 Sebastopol
Is Sebastopol at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sebastopol has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #581 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (51%) and river and rain flooding (47%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sebastopol flood?
Flood insurance has paid 50 claims in Sebastopol since 1978, $1.6M in all, or 14.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (3).
Is Sebastopol 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 Sonoma County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sebastopol?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sebastopol’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 Sebastopol?
By FEMA money that reached Sebastopol, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2019): $254K to the City of Sebastopol for repairs. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 3 paid, $12K.
Is Sebastopol at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Sebastopol’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sebastopol.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sebastopol’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.