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Soquel, California January 5, 2007Photo: Roofus at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Soquel · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Soquel gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #700 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (57%), then river and rain flooding (39%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2016.

Earthquakes 57%River and rain flooding 39%Wildfire 4%

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#700 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#700 of 847
in California · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2016 · $346K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 24 declared for Santa Cruz County
By hazard

What Soquel faces

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

Earthquakes

57%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

39%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire top 4% Tsunamis top 1% Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts earthquakes at 68% of Soquel’s expected losses. Earthquakes do little damage to buildings (56.7%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Soquel’s grade

Earthquakes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Soquel, and Soquel’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Soquel sits
Soquel
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #700 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Soquel’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes57%River and rain flooding39%Wildfire4%Everything else1%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Soquel has more expected damage per building than 83% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $18.2M a year in losses across Soquel: $12.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Soquel covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Soquel flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2016

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Soquel, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 5 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201620222023
20162026
Biggest named events
  • The California Atmospheric River6 claims · $338K
7
paid claims since 2016
$346K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$49K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Soquel 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.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Soquel

Disasters that paid out in Soquel itself (aid to households or repair grants to Soquel), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides47 households applied for aid$171K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides179 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2020Wildfires22 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SoquelSanta Cruz County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Soquel archive →
Next door

Soquel and its neighbors

Soquel is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Live Oak: hazard risk DCapitola: hazard risk DAptos: hazard risk DLive OakCapitolaAptosSoquel
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Live OakDmore damage than 90%earthquakes3
CapitolaDmore damage than 95%earthquakes75
AptosDmore damage than 95%earthquakes—
SoquelD−more damage than 98%earthquakes7

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Soquel 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 ↗
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 Soquel

Is Soquel at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Soquel has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #700 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (57%) and river and rain flooding (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Soquel flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Soquel since 2016, $346K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from California Atmospheric River (6).

Is Soquel 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 Soquel?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Soquel’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 Soquel?

By FEMA money that reached Soquel, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 179 households applied for aid, $1.3M approved. By flood claims, California Atmospheric River: 6 paid, $338K.

Is Soquel at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Soquel’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Soquel.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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