Natural disaster risk in Orange County, California
California · population 3,183,647 · FIPS 06059
Overall: very high risk
Orange County has a composite risk score of 99.8 out of 100 — among the highest 1% of US counties. It ranks 4 of 58 in California (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are earthquake, inland (riverine) flooding, landslide.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Orange County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 42 weeks in a row.
Drought in Orange 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. |
Very high 99.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $1.9 billion a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very high 99.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 24.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 16.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Orange County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Earthquake | Very high 99 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very high 99 |
| Landslide | Relatively high 99 |
| Wildfire | Relatively high 99 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 97 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively high 92 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 83 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 52 |
| Tsunami | Relatively low 56 |
| Drought | Relatively low 32 |
| Avalanche | Very low 13 |
| Winter weather | Very low 1 |
| Cold wave | No rating |
| Hurricane | No rating |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Orange County
Federal declarations that designated Orange County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Orange County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3646-CA (Chemical Release), declared 25 May 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3646-CA | Emergency | Chemical Release | 25 May 2026 | No |
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 Orange County, California?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Orange County as very high, with a score of 99.8 out of 100 (among the highest 1% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Orange County?
The hazards rated highest for Orange County are earthquake (very high), inland (riverine) flooding (very high), landslide (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Orange County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Orange County as very high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Orange County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Orange County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3646-CA (Chemical Release), declared 25 May 2026.
Is Orange County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Orange County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 42 weeks in a row.
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