FEMA Records
6
Total declarations
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
The data below is historical (NOAA Storm Events / FEMA), not a live alert. For current warnings and evacuation orders, check the National Weather Service, Ready.gov, or FEMA.gov.
California · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Santa Cruz County, CA
6 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 6
- FEMA declarations
- 4
- Major disasters
- 98
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Flood
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Santa Cruz County in the top 2% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 81% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Santa Cruz County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the California county average and the national county average.
- Santa Cruz County
- 6
- California county avg
- 6.9
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Santa Cruz County?
Santa Cruz County, California has recorded 6 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2024, of which 4 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.5 declarations per year across a 4-year record, or roughly 13% below the California county average of 6.9 and 60% above the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency, smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.
The dominant disaster type on record is Flood, with 3 of 6 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively High (composite score 97.8/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively High equivalent to roughly $335.4M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Low and community resilience scores Relatively High - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Drought (Relatively High).
NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Santa Cruz County at a moderate relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps, flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management, before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
How Santa Cruz County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Moderate
vs. California Avg
-13%
State avg: 6.9
vs. National Avg
+60%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
1.5
Over 4 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Santa Cruz County
The radar plots Santa Cruz County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
06087
CA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 6 FEMA disaster declarations in Santa Cruz County by incident type.
Flood 3
Severe Storm 2
Biological 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 4 66.7%
of all 6 declarations
Emergency - 2 33.3%
of all 6 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Santa Cruz County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 4 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 6 FEMA disaster declarations for Santa Cruz County, California.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4769 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2024-04-13 |
| 4699 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2023-04-03 |
| 3592 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-03-10 |
| 4683 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2023-01-14 |
| 3591 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-01-09 |
| 4482 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
Storm Events in California
NOAA severe weather data for California (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,403 | 14 | 29 | $228.9M |
| Flood | 3,518 | 32 | 31 | $990.7M |
| Heavy Snow | 1,916 | 6 | 0 | $1.6M |
| Dense Fog | 1,665 | 55 | 150 | $2.8M |
| Strong Wind | 1,482 | 40 | 43 | $15.7M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Santa Cruz County.
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 97.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$335.4M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Relatively High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Santa Cruz County.
Drought Relatively High
Landslide Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Tsunami Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Tornado Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Avalanche Very Low
Cold Wave No Rating
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in California
Other California counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Santa Cruz County, California had?
Santa Cruz County, California has received 6 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2024. Of these, 4 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Santa Cruz County?
The most common disaster type in Santa Cruz County is Flood, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (2), Biological (1).
How does Santa Cruz County's disaster risk compare to the California average?
Santa Cruz County has 6 disaster declarations, which is 13% lower than the California county average of 6.9 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 60% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Santa Cruz County received?
Santa Cruz County has received 4 major disaster declarations, representing 67% of all 6 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in California?
The most common storm types in California include High Wind (4,403 events), Flood (3,518 events), Heavy Snow (1,916 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Santa Cruz County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Santa Cruz County was 2023, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2020 to 2024.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Santa Cruz County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Santa Cruz County has a moderate disaster risk level with 6 total declarations. This county has a moderate number of disaster declarations.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Santa Cruz County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Santa Cruz County, California has an overall risk score of 97.8 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $335.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Santa Cruz County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Santa Cruz County is Drought (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Landslide (Relatively High) and Earthquake (Relatively High). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, CA has 6 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a moderate historical disaster load, 13% below the California county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (4 of 6) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. California overview
- See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
- Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 - all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) - per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database - state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.