Natural hazards · El Cerrito

El Cerrito, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in El Cerrito comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1993.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is El Cerrito?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in El Cerrito to be higher than in 87% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding50%Earthquakes45%Everything else6%

By hazard

What El Cerrito faces

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

Inland flooding

50% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

45% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingIce 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 El Cerrito flood?

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

3paid claims since 1993

$17Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19932026

Biggest named events

Winter storm: 1 claim, $17K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. El Cerrito 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.

Disasters that hit El Cerrito

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Riverside County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching El Cerrito itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into El CerritoDeclared for Riverside County only

Riverside County has had 61 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

Around El Cerrito

El Cerrito and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Coronamostly inland floodingVery high

El Cerritomostly inland floodingVery 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. El Cerrito covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to El Cerrito’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to El Cerrito. 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 El Cerrito total about $3.8M 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.