Natural hazards · South Whittier

South Whittier, CA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in South Whittier comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is South Whittier?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

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

Earthquakes51%Inland flooding48%Everything else2%

By hazard

What South Whittier 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 95% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 South Whittier flood?

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

2paid claims since 1979

$4Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Pineapple Express - Southern: 1 claim, $4K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Los Angeles County.

Disasters that hit South Whittier

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into South WhittierDeclared for Los Angeles County only

Los Angeles County has had 74 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

Around South Whittier

South Whittier and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

South Whittiermostly earthquakesVery high

La Miradamostly earthquakesVery high

Santa Fe Springsmostly earthquakesVery high

Whittiermostly 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. South Whittier covers 12 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to South Whittier’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to South Whittier. 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 South Whittier total about $25.4M 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.