On FEMA’s figures, Sleepy Hollow faces more hazard damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sleepy Hollow gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #417 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then earthquakes (30%). Flood insurance has paid 64 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 Sleepy Hollow’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Sleepy Hollow 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
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 Sleepy Hollow’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sleepy Hollow, and Sleepy Hollow’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 1%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
D #417 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sleepy Hollow’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, Sleepy Hollow has less expected damage per building than 51% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Sleepy Hollow: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sleepy Hollow flood? Sometimes: 64 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sleepy Hollow, from FEMA’s records: 55.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern1 claim · $16K
Sleepy Hollow isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Marin County.The storms Sleepy Hollow remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Marin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sleepy Hollow itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200529 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides, declared for Marin County
- 198218 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19802 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Marin County has had 22 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.
Old photos of Sleepy Hollow after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sleepy Hollow archive →Sleepy Hollow and its neighbors
Sleepy Hollow has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleepy Hollow | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 64 |
| San Rafael | D−more damage than 96% | earthquakes | 454 |
| Fairfax | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 90 |
| San Anselmo | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 230 |
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 Sleepy Hollow 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.
- 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 Sleepy Hollow
Is Sleepy Hollow at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sleepy Hollow has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #417 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and earthquakes (30%). 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 Sleepy Hollow flood?
Flood insurance has paid 64 claims in Sleepy Hollow since 1980, $1.8M in all, or 55.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (1).
Is Sleepy Hollow 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 Marin County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sleepy Hollow?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sleepy Hollow’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 Sleepy Hollow?
By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 1 paid, $16K.
Is Sleepy Hollow at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Sleepy Hollow’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sleepy Hollow.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sleepy Hollow’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.