Natural disaster risk in Imperial County, California
California · population 179,319 · FIPS 06025
Overall: relatively high risk
Imperial County has a composite risk score of 96.5 out of 100 — higher than 96% of US counties. It ranks 25 of 58 in California (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are earthquake, inland (riverine) flooding, heat wave.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 12 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 54.53% of Imperial County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 12 weeks in a row.
Drought in Imperial County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively high 96.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $147.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 94.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 85.1 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 2.4 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Imperial County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively high 99 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 94 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 69 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 54 |
| Volcanic activity | Relatively low 85 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 76 |
| Landslide | Very low 41 |
| Hurricane | Very low 22 |
| Hail | Very low 20 |
| Lightning | Very low 15 |
| Tornado | Very low 11 |
| Winter weather | Very low 1 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Cold wave | No rating |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Imperial County
Federal declarations that designated Imperial County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Imperial County.
All FEMA declarations in California, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Imperial County, California?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Imperial County as relatively high, with a score of 96.5 out of 100 (higher than 96% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Imperial County?
The hazards rated highest for Imperial County are earthquake (relatively high), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively high), heat wave (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Imperial County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Imperial County as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Imperial County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Imperial County.
Is Imperial County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 54.53% of Imperial County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 12 weeks in a row.
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