Natural hazards · East Whittier

East Whittier, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in East Whittier comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1983.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is East Whittier?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in East Whittier to be higher than in 88% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes66%Inland flooding33%Everything else1%

By hazard

What East Whittier faces

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

Earthquakes

66% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

33% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold 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 East Whittier flood?

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

1paid claims since 1983

$607paid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19832026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. East Whittier 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 East Whittier

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Los Angeles County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching East Whittier itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into East WhittierDeclared for Los Angeles County only

Los Angeles County has had 74 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

Around East Whittier

East Whittier and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

La Miradamostly earthquakesVery high

East Whittiermostly earthquakesVery high

Whittiermostly 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. East Whittier covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to East Whittier’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to East Whittier. 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 East Whittier total about $5.4M 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.