Natural disaster risk in Santa Cruz County, California
California · population 270,408 · FIPS 06087
Overall: relatively high risk
Santa Cruz County has a composite risk score of 97.8 out of 100 — higher than 97% of US counties. It ranks 19 of 58 in California (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, earthquake, landslide.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Santa Cruz County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 25 weeks in a row.
Drought in Santa Cruz 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 97.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $335.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 98.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 28.1 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 71.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Santa Cruz County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 99 |
| Earthquake | Relatively high 99 |
| Landslide | Relatively high 99 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 96 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 97 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Tsunami | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 59 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively low 49 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 31 |
| Hail | Very low 33 |
| Tornado | Very low 18 |
| Strong wind | Very low 6 |
| Avalanche | Very low 3 |
| Cold wave | No rating |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Santa Cruz County
Federal declarations that designated Santa Cruz County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Santa Cruz County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4769-CA (Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared 13 Apr 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4769-CA | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 13 Apr 2024 | 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 Santa Cruz County, California?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Santa Cruz County as relatively high, with a score of 97.8 out of 100 (higher than 97% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Santa Cruz County?
The hazards rated highest for Santa Cruz County are drought (relatively high), earthquake (relatively high), landslide (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Santa Cruz County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Santa Cruz County as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Santa Cruz County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Santa Cruz County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4769-CA (Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared 13 Apr 2024.
Is Santa Cruz County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Santa Cruz County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 25 weeks in a row.
Every county in California, ranked · All states · Disasters near me