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Val Verde, CaliforniaPhoto: Ponderosapine210 · CC BY-SA 4.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Val Verde · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Val Verde, led by earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Val Verde gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #757 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (41%), then wildfire (38%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2005.

Earthquakes 41%Wildfire 38%River and rain flooding 21%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#757 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#757 of 847
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
41% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2005 · $24K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 40 declared for Los Angeles County
By hazard

What Val Verde faces

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

Earthquakes

41%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

38%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

21%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Landslides top 4% Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Val Verde’s grade

Earthquakes are 41% of the building damage FEMA expects in Val Verde, and Val Verde’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 38%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Val Verde sits
Val Verde
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #757 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Val Verde’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes41%Wildfire38%River and rain flooding21%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Val Verde has more expected damage per building than 89% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.3M a year in losses across Val Verde: $8.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Val Verde’s 2,399 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Val Verde flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Val Verde, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2005
20052026
1
paid claims since 2005
$24K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$24K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Los Angeles County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Val Verde

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

  1. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides15 households applied for aid$36K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Val VerdeLos Angeles County only

Los Angeles County has had 40 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 44 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Los Angeles County, 2002–2025.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Val Verde archive →
Next door

Val Verde and its neighbors

Val Verde has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hasley Canyon: hazard risk D−Hasley CanyonVal Verde
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Val VerdeD−among the highest damageearthquakes1
Hasley CanyonD−among the highest damagewildfire—

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 Val Verde 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
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 Val Verde

Is Val Verde at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Val Verde has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #757 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (41%) and wildfire (38%). 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 Val Verde flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Val Verde since 2005, $24K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Val Verde 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 Los Angeles County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Val Verde?

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

By FEMA money that reached Val Verde, Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides (2004): 15 households applied for aid, $36K approved.

Is Val Verde at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (41%), and Val Verde’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Val Verde.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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