Anaheim’s biggest natural hazard is earthquakes
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Anaheim comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 21 claims here since 1980. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Anaheim’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Anaheim flood? Sometimes: 21 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Anaheim, from FEMA’s records.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern3 claims · $2K
Anaheim is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Orange County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Anaheim
Disasters that paid out in Anaheim itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Anaheim) and its biggest flood years.
- 2017Wildfires209 households applied for aid$42K aid approved$482K to the City of Anaheim for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$192K to the City of Anaheim for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$236K to the City of Anaheim for repairs
- 2008Wildfires99 households applied for aid$130K aid approved$228K to the City of Anaheim for repairs
- 2007Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, and Debris Flows11 households applied for aid$12K to the City of Anaheim for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud and Debris Flows$83K to the City of Anaheim for repairs
Show all 7
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides38 households applied for aid$80K aid approved$2.1M to the City of Anaheim for repairs
Orange County has had 36 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.
Old photos of Anaheim after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Anaheim archive →Anaheim and its neighbors
Anaheim has the lowest rating of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Park | Very high | earthquakes | 9 |
| Fullerton | Very high | earthquakes | 10 |
| Orange | Very high | earthquakes | 14 |
| Placentia | Very high | earthquakes | 3 |
| Yorba Linda | Very high | earthquakes | 10 |
| Stanton | Very high | earthquakes | 6 |
| Garden Grove | Very high | earthquakes | 60 |
| Anaheim | Very high | earthquakes | 21 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
How exposed is Anaheim?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 84% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,038 of the 1,619 California towns we cover.
Anaheim covers 60 census tracts, combined by population.
What Anaheim faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Inland flooding
Get ready for what Anaheim actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- Anaheim residents get 20% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Most disasters here begin in December–February
The month each of Orange County’s 36 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Anaheim’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Anaheim.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Anaheim, expected losses total about $178M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Anaheim.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Weather alerts: National Weather Service. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.