Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Ukiah

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Ukiah Civic CenterPhoto: City of Ukiah - Dept. of Recreation · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ukiah · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Ukiah than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ukiah 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 (50%), then river and rain flooding (49%). Flood insurance has paid 48 claims here since 1980.

Earthquakes 50%River and rain flooding 49%

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#719 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#719 of 847
in California · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
48
paid since 1980 · $1.1M
Disasters paid out here
7
of 25 declared for Mendocino County
By hazard

What Ukiah faces

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

Earthquakes

50%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

49%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Ukiah’s grade

Earthquakes are 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ukiah, and Ukiah’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 49%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ukiah sits
Ukiah
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #719 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Ukiah’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes50%River and rain flooding49%Everything else1%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ukiah has more expected damage per building than 85% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $24.3M a year in losses across Ukiah: $20.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Ukiah covers 6 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 Ukiah flood? Sometimes: 48 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ukiah, from FEMA’s records: 7.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 3 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 2 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 3 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 2 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 34 claims2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198019862005
19802026
48
paid claims since 1980
$1.1M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$23K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Ukiah isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Mendocino County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ukiah

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

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides68 households applied for aid$142K aid approved
  2. 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides52 households applied for aid$105K aid approved$122K to the City of Ukiah for repairs
  3. 2019Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$848K to the City of Ukiah for repairs
  4. 2018Wildfires and High Winds1 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
  5. 2017Wildfires102 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$14K to the City of Ukiah for repairs
  6. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$21K to the City of Ukiah for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides156 households applied for aid$161K aid approved$1.2M to the City of Ukiah for repairs34 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in UkiahMendocino County only

Mendocino County has had 25 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Mendocino County, 2017–2018.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ukiah archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ukiah 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 Ukiah

Is Ukiah at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ukiah 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 (50%) and river and rain flooding (49%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Ukiah flood?

Flood insurance has paid 48 claims in Ukiah since 1980, $1.1M in all, or 7.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Ukiah 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 Mendocino County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ukiah?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ukiah, Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides (2005): 156 households applied for aid, $161K approved, and $1.2M to the City of Ukiah for repairs.

Is Ukiah at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Ukiah’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ukiah.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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