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Natural hazards · Downey

Downey, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Downey comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2001. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations
Expected damage

How exposed is Downey?

83
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Downey to be higher than in 83% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes79%Inland flooding20%
By hazard

What Downey faces

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

Earthquakes

79% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

20% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 43% of U.S. places
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Downey flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Downey, from FEMA’s records.

6paid claims since 2001
$502Kpaid to owners
1homes flooded more than once
20012026

Biggest named events

  • February California Atmospheric River: 1 claim, $365K
  • Winter storm: 1 claim, $72K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Downey 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 that hit Downey

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Downey itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Downey.

Brought FEMA money into DowneyDeclared for Los Angeles County only
2025

Wildfires and Straight-Line Winds

244 households applied for aid $99K aid approved
2020

Wildfires

20 households applied for aid
2017

Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflows, and Debris Flows

2 households applied for aid
2008

Wildfires

4 households applied for aid
2007

Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, and Debris Flows

2 households applied for aid
2004

Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides

23 households applied for aid $21K aid approved
2003

Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T

51 households applied for aid $9K aid approved
Los Angeles County has had 74 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.
Around Downey

Downey and the towns around it

South Gate: Very high, mostly earthquakesBellflower: Very high, mostly earthquakesNorwalk: Very high, mostly earthquakesSanta Fe Springs: Very high, mostly earthquakesBell Gardens: Very high, mostly earthquakesParamount: Very high, mostly earthquakesPico Rivera: Very high, mostly earthquakesCommerce: Very high, mostly earthquakesLynwood: Very high, mostly earthquakesWalnut Park: Very high, mostly earthquakesCudahy: High, mostly earthquakesFlorence-Graham: Very high, mostly earthquakesLakewood: Very high, mostly earthquakesCerritos: Very high, mostly earthquakesWest Whittier-Los Nietos: Very high, mostly earthquakesSouth Whittier: Very high, mostly earthquakesWhittier: Very high, mostly earthquakesLa Mirada: Very high, mostly earthquakesBell: Very high, mostly earthquakesEast Rancho Dominguez: Very high, mostly earthquakesCompton: Very high, mostly earthquakesLong Beach: Very high, mostly earthquakesMontebello: Very high, mostly earthquakesIndustry: Very high, mostly earthquakesEast Los Angeles: Very high, mostly earthquakesVernon: Very high, mostly earthquakesLos Angeles: Very high, mostly earthquakesDowney: Very high, mostly earthquakes DowneySouth GateBellflowerNorwalkSanta Fe SpringsBell GardensParamountPico RiveraCommerce
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Norwalkmostly earthquakesVery high
Santa Fe Springsmostly earthquakesVery high
Bell Gardensmostly earthquakesVery high
Bellflowermostly earthquakesVery high
Paramountmostly earthquakesVery high
Commercemostly earthquakesVery high
Pico Riveramostly earthquakesVery high
South Gatemostly earthquakesVery high
Downeymostly earthquakesVery high
About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’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 here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Downey covers 26 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Downey’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Downey. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Downey total about $56.7M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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