Natural hazards · Elkhorn

Elkhorn, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Elkhorn comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Elkhorn?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Elkhorn to be higher than in 90% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes68%Inland flooding24%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Elkhorn faces

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

Earthquakes

68% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

24% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

HurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Elkhorn flood?

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

10paid claims since 1978

$175Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Pineapple Express - Southern: 2 claims, $17K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Monterey County.

Disasters that hit Elkhorn

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ElkhornDeclared for Monterey County only

Monterey County has had 30 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

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. Elkhorn covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Elkhorn’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Elkhorn. 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 Elkhorn total about $4.6M 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.