Photo: Bluesnote · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Thousand Palms faces more hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Thousand Palms gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #719 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (61%), then river and rain flooding (38%). Flood insurance has paid 45 claims here since 1999.
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 Thousand Palms 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 Thousand Palms’ grade
Earthquakes are 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Thousand Palms, and Thousand Palms’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 38%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #719 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Thousand Palms’ 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, Thousand Palms has more expected damage per building than 85% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.8M a year in losses across Thousand Palms: $7.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Thousand Palms flood? Sometimes: 45 flood claims since 1999
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Thousand Palms, from FEMA’s records: 12.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Hilary10 claims · $896K
- The December California Flooding6 claims · $263K
- The Winter storm1 claim · $2K
Thousand Palms isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Riverside County.The storms Thousand Palms remembers
None of the 33 disasters declared for Riverside County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Thousand Palms itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 202316 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Hilary, declared for Riverside County
- 201415 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20105 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows, declared for Riverside County
Riverside County has had 33 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 30 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Riverside County, 2003–2026.
Old photos of Thousand Palms after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Thousand Palms archive →Thousand Palms and its neighbors
Thousand Palms is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Valley | Dmore damage than 94% | earthquakes | — |
| Cathedral City | Dmore damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Desert Palms | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Thousand Palms | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 45 |
| Palm Desert | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 218 |
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 Thousand Palms 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 Thousand Palms
Is Thousand Palms at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Thousand Palms has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #719 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (61%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Thousand Palms flood?
Flood insurance has paid 45 claims in Thousand Palms since 1999, $2.1M in all, or 12.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Hilary (10).
Is Thousand Palms 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 Riverside County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Thousand Palms?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Thousand Palms’ 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 Thousand Palms?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Hilary: 10 paid, $896K.
Is Thousand Palms at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Thousand Palms’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Thousand Palms.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Thousand Palms’ 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.