Natural hazards · Marin

Marin, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Marin comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1998.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Marin?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Marin to be higher than in 73% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes51%Inland flooding47%Everything else2%

By hazard

What Marin faces

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

Earthquakes

51% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

47% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningTsunamis

Not a risk here

HurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesDroughtAvalanchesVolcanic 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 Marin flood?

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

1paid claims since 1998

$2Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19982026

Biggest named events

Pineapple Express - Southern: 1 claim, $2K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Marin County.

Disasters that hit Marin

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into MarinDeclared for Marin County only

Marin County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Marin

Marin and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Tamalpais-Homestead Valleymostly inland floodingVery high

Marin Citymostly earthquakesHigh

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. Marin covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Marin’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Marin. 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 Marin total about $517K 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.