More hazard damage per building is expected in Woodcrest than in 96% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodcrest gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #605 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then wildfire (33%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2013.
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 Woodcrest faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Earthquakes
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 Woodcrest’s grade
River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodcrest, and Woodcrest’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 33%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #605 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Woodcrest’s residents live in 5 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, Woodcrest has more expected damage per building than 71% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.7M a year in losses across Woodcrest: $11.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodcrest flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Woodcrest, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Woodcrest 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 Woodcrest remembers
None of the 33 disasters declared for Riverside County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Woodcrest itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20131 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Woodcrest after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodcrest archive →Woodcrest and its neighbors
Woodcrest is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| March ARB | Dmore damage than 91% | earthquakes | — |
| El Sobrante | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Woodcrest | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Riverside | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Mead Valley | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | 7 |
| Lake Mathews | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | — |
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 Woodcrest faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Woodcrest
Is Woodcrest at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodcrest has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #605 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and wildfire (33%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Woodcrest flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Woodcrest since 2013, $3K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Woodcrest 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 Woodcrest?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodcrest’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Woodcrest at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Woodcrest’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodcrest.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodcrest’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.