Natural hazards · Prunedale

Prunedale, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Prunedale comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 55 claims here since 1982. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Prunedale?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Prunedale to be higher than in 93% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes65%Inland flooding27%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Prunedale faces

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

Earthquakes

65% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

27% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% 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 Prunedale flood?

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

55paid claims since 1982

$1.4Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19822026

Biggest named events

Pineapple Express - Southern: 10 claims, $137K
California Atmospheric River: 6 claims, $370K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Prunedale 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 Prunedale

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into PrunedaleDeclared for Monterey County only

2023

Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

13 households applied for aid $33K aid approved

2022

Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

7 households applied for aid $62K aid approved

2020

Wildfires

2 households applied for aid $1K aid approved

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. Prunedale covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Prunedale’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Prunedale. 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 Prunedale total about $14.8M 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.