Natural hazards · McKinleyville

McKinleyville, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in McKinleyville comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1995.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is McKinleyville?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

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

Earthquakes60%Inland flooding40%

By hazard

What McKinleyville faces

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

Earthquakes

60% of expected damage

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

Inland flooding

40% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningTsunamis

Not a risk here

HurricanesIce stormsCold 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 McKinleyville flood?

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

9paid claims since 1995

$74Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19952026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Humboldt County.

Disasters that hit McKinleyville

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into McKinleyvilleDeclared for Humboldt County only

Humboldt County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around McKinleyville

McKinleyville and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Arcatamostly earthquakesVery high

McKinleyvillemostly earthquakesVery high

Fieldbrookmostly inland floodingVery high

Westhaven-Moonstonemostly tsunamisVery 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. McKinleyville covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to McKinleyville’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to McKinleyville. 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 McKinleyville total about $7.9M 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.