FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Somis than in 95% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Somis gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (38%), then wildfire (37%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Somis faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Wildfire
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 Somis’ grade
Earthquakes are 38% of the building damage FEMA expects in Somis, and Somis’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 37%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Somis’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Somis: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Somis flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Somis. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Somis isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ventura County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Somis
Disasters that paid out in Somis itself (aid to households or repair grants to Somis), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$41K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides12 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
- 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T20 households applied for aid$60K aid approved
Ventura County has had 32 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 17 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Ventura County, 2003–2026.
Old photos of Somis after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Somis archive →Get ready for what Somis 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.
- 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.
- 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 Somis
Is Somis at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Somis has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (38%) and wildfire (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Somis 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 Ventura County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Somis?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Somis’ 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 Somis?
By FEMA money that reached Somis, Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T (2003): 20 households applied for aid, $60K approved.
Is Somis at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (38%), and Somis’ rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Somis.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Somis’ 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.