Natural hazards · El Sobrante

El Sobrante, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in El Sobrante comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2017. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is El Sobrante?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in El Sobrante to be higher than in 91% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes61%Inland flooding36%Everything else3%

By hazard

What El Sobrante faces

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

Earthquakes

61% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

36% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Sobrante flood?

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

1paid claims since 2017

$3Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20172026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. El Sobrante isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Contra Costa County.

Disasters that hit El Sobrante

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in El Sobrante itself: aid to households, or repair grants to El Sobrante.

Brought FEMA money into El SobranteDeclared for Contra Costa County only

2022

Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

31 households applied for aid $132K aid approved

2005

Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides

4 households applied for aid $7K aid approved

Contra Costa County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around El Sobrante

El Sobrante and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Pinolemostly inland floodingVery high

San Pablomostly earthquakesVery high

Rollingwoodmostly earthquakesVery high

El Sobrantemostly earthquakesVery high

Richmondmostly 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. El Sobrante covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to El Sobrante’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to El Sobrante. 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 Sobrante total about $9.0M 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.