Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Orange County, CA

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
06059
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Approved, expires 2026-12-26. Plan: Orange County (FEMA plan 107719), approved 2021-12-27.

Since the plan was approved on 2021-12-27: 3 new hazard declarations (3 incidents): FM-5439-CA (Coastal Fire), EM-3591-CA (Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides), EM-3592-CA (Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides); also 1 non-natural declaration (not counted).

NOAA Storm Events records since that date: 125 records (data through 2026-06-30).

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Earthquake ($1,015,337,591 a year), Inland Flooding ($819,930,991) and Wildfire ($57,585,624).

Repetitive-loss flood properties now: FMA RL 10, SRL 11 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 103.

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Approved, expires 2026-12-26
Plan:
Orange County (FEMA plan 107719)
Approved:
2021-12-27
Days to expiry:
87
Update underway:
none recorded in FEMA's plan tracker

What changed since your last plan (approved 2021-12-27)

New federal declarations:
3 new hazard declarations (3 incidents): FM-5439-CA (Coastal Fire), EM-3591-CA (Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides), EM-3592-CA (Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides); also 1 non-natural declaration (not counted)
Storm Events records since approval:
125 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 10, SRL 11 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 103
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county: 56 rows, in the section "Plan clock: Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county" on the following pages.

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Plan clock

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryUpdate underwayNotes
Orange CountyCountyApproved, expires 2026-12-26Orange County (FEMA plan 107719)2021-12-272026-12-2687
Aliso Viejo cityCityApproved, expires 2029-07-17Aliso Viejo, City of (FEMA plan 109776)2024-07-182029-07-171,021
Anaheim cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-05Anaheim, City of (FEMA plan 108316)2022-09-062027-09-05340
Brea cityCityApproved, expires 2029-10-29Brea, City of (FEMA plan 110113)2024-10-302029-10-291,125
Buena Park cityCityApproved, expires 2027-12-19Buena Park, City of (FEMA plan 108548)2022-12-202027-12-19445
Costa Mesa cityCityApproved, expires 2028-04-17Costa Mesa, City of (FEMA plan 108776)2023-04-182028-04-17565
Dana Point cityCityApproved, expires 2030-02-04Dana Point, City of (FEMA plan 110327)2025-02-052030-02-041,223
Fountain Valley cityCityApproved, expires 2030-11-09Fountain Valley, City of (FEMA plan 111077)2025-11-102030-11-091,501
Fullerton cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-08Fullerton, City of (FEMA plan 111785)2026-07-092031-07-081,742
Garden Grove cityCityExpired on 2025-09-17Garden Grove, City of (FEMA plan 106425)2020-09-182025-09-17-378
Huntington Beach cityCityApproved, expires 2028-01-13Huntington Beach, City of (FEMA plan 108619)2023-01-142028-01-13470
Irvine cityCityNo approved plan on record. Approvable pending adoption, not yet eligiblenonenonenoneFEMA tracker shows a plan approvable pending adoptionNot yet eligible: adopt the approved plan.
La Habra cityCityExpired on 2025-04-13La Habra, City of (FEMA plan 106180)2020-04-142025-04-13-535
La Palma cityCityExpired on 2025-04-16La Palma, City of (FEMA plan 106229)2020-04-172025-04-16-532
Laguna Beach cityCityApproved, expires 2028-12-21Laguna Beach, City of (FEMA plan 109423)2023-12-222028-12-21813
Laguna Hills cityCityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Laguna Hills, City of (FEMA plan 110334)2025-04-152030-04-141,292
Laguna Niguel cityCityApproved, expires 2029-01-22Laguna Niguel, City of (FEMA plan 108847)2024-01-222029-01-22845
Laguna Woods cityCityExpired on 2018-05-27Laguna Woods, City of (FEMA plan 81270)2013-05-272018-05-27-3,048
Lake Forest cityCityApproved, expires 2029-09-05Lake Forest, City of (FEMA plan 109899)2024-09-062029-09-051,071
Mission Viejo cityCityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Mission Viejo, City of (FEMA plan 109926)2025-04-152030-04-141,292
Newport Beach cityCityExpired on 2021-09-26Newport Beach, City of (FEMA plan 102049)2016-09-262021-09-26-1,830
Orange cityCityApproved, expires 2031-05-06Orange, City of (FEMA plan 111787)2026-05-072031-05-061,679
Placentia cityCityApproved, expires 2029-07-17Placentia, City of (FEMA plan 109772)2024-07-182029-07-171,021
Rancho Santa Margarita cityCityApproved, expires 2030-07-15Rancho Santa Margarita, City of (FEMA plan 110553)2025-07-162030-07-151,384
San Clemente cityCityApproved, expires 2030-04-14San Clemente, City of (FEMA plan 110458)2025-04-152030-04-141,292
San Juan Capistrano cityCityExpired on 2025-04-22San Juan Capistrano, City of (FEMA plan 106331)2020-04-232025-04-22-526
Santa Ana cityCityApproved, expires 2028-02-06Santa Ana, City of (FEMA plan 108208)2023-02-072028-02-06494
Seal Beach cityCityApproved, expires 2030-11-16Seal Beach, City of (FEMA plan 111135)2025-11-172030-11-161,508
Stanton cityCityApproved, expires 2028-04-17Stanton, City of (FEMA plan 108608)2023-04-182028-04-17565
Tustin cityCityExpired on 2024-11-06Tustin, City of (FEMA plan 105774)2019-11-072024-11-06-693
Villa Park cityCityExpired on 2026-07-13Villa Park, City of (FEMA plan 107223)2021-07-142026-07-13-79
Westminster cityCityExpired on 2021-05-13Westminster, City of (FEMA plan 102262)2016-05-132021-05-13-1,966
Yorba Linda cityCityApproved, expires 2028-10-22Yorba Linda, City of (FEMA plan 109252)2023-10-232028-10-22753
Name not given in FEMA data (ID R09_202794)School/School DistrictExpired on 2010-07-26Saddleback Valley Unified School District (FEMA plan 81413)2005-07-262010-07-26-5,910
Coast Community College DistrictCollege/UniversityApproved, expires 2027-05-19Coast Community College District (FEMA plan 107939)2022-05-202027-05-19231
Costa Mesa Sanitary DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-14
East Orange County Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2031-02-10East Orange County Water District (FEMA plan 111579)2026-02-112031-02-101,594
El Toro Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-14
Irvine Ranch Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-14
Laguna Beach County Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-06-02
Mesa Consolidated Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292
Midway City Sanitary DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-10-21Midway City Sanitary District (FEMA plan 111078)2025-10-222030-10-211,482
Moulton Niguel Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-27
Municipal Water District of Orange CountyWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292
Orange County Fire AuthorityFire/EMS DistrictApproved, expires 2026-12-26Orange County (FEMA plan 107719)2021-12-272026-12-2687
Orange County Sanitation DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-07-28
Orange County Transportation AuthorityTransit/AirportApproved, expires 2027-10-26Orange County Transportation Authority (FEMA plan 108228)2022-10-272027-10-26391
Orange County Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-09-15
Rancho Santiago Community College DistrictCollege/UniversityExpired on 2022-11-14Rancho Santiago Community College District (FEMA plan 102698)2017-11-152022-11-14-1,416
Santa Margarita Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-09-05
Serrano Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-06-02
South Coast Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-09-15
South Orange County Wastewater AuthorityWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-14
Southern Orange County Community College DistrictCollege/UniversityApproved, expires 2027-09-13South Orange County Community College District (FEMA plan 108217)2022-09-142027-09-13348
Trabuco Canyon Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-27
Yorba Linda Water DistrictWater/Sewer AuthorityApproved, expires 2030-04-14Orange County, Municipal Water District of (FEMA plan 110682)2025-04-152030-04-141,292this jurisdiction approved 2025-06-02

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countStorm Events coverage note
1EarthquakeVery HighVery High$706,143,269n/a$309,194,322$1,015,337,591Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
2Inland FloodingVery HighVery High$818,458,922$42,587$1,429,482$819,930,991138
3WildfireRelatively HighRelatively High$54,812,095$3,585$2,769,945$57,585,62440
4Heat WaveRelatively HighRelatively High$5,894$6,845$11,014,018$11,026,75751
5Coastal FloodingRelatively HighRelatively High$8,410,595n/a$2,542$8,413,13314
6TornadoRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$3,429,754$610$1,917,996$5,348,3607
7LandslideRelatively HighRelatively High$942,120n/a$3,237,130$4,179,25013
8TsunamiRelatively LowRelatively Low$2,529,600n/a$0$2,529,6003
9HailRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$900,264$441$36,678$937,38411
10Strong WindRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$339,316$1,650$311,609$652,575255Includes 195 High Wind and 28 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
11LightningRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$5,801n/a$482,869$488,6714
12DroughtRelatively LowRelatively Lown/a$36,627n/a$36,62726
13Winter WeatherVery LowVery Low$2under $1$131$13310
14AvalancheVery LowVery Low$2n/a$14$160No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
15Cold WaveNo RatingNo Expected Annual Losses$0$0$0$02Includes 2 Frost/Freeze records (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition; counted in this table and in B1-d, not in the B1-e descriptor).
16HurricaneNo RatingNo Expected Annual Losses$0$0$0$01

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: ice storm and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Coastal Flooding and Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Avalanchetract 320.11 (Very Low, 5.5); tract 219.24 (Very Low, 5.0); tract 320.41 (Very Low, 4.7)
Earthquaketract 116.02 (Very High, 100.0); tract 115.04 (Very High, 99.9); tract 1101.13 (Very High, 99.9)
Hurricaneno tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Landslidetract 320.11 (Very High, 99.9); tract 320.66 (Relatively High, 99.9); tract 626.56 (Relatively High, 99.9)
Tornadotract 626.14 (Relatively Low, 48.9); tract 755.16 (Relatively Low, 43.3); tract 116.02 (Relatively Low, 42.4)
Tsunamitract 995.14 (Relatively Moderate, 88.7); tract 995.12 (Relatively Moderate, 85.1); tract 995.13 (Relatively Moderate, 81.9)
Wildfiretract 320.66 (Very High, 100.0); tract 320.11 (Very High, 99.8); tract 320.42 (Very High, 99.6)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 320.11 is Census Tract 320.11). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Avalanchenone (count and damage only)0Physical measure: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Coastal Flood, Storm Surge/Tidenone in data (flood depth: FIRM)14 records, 1998 to 2026 (12 zone-level)Storm Surge/Tide, 2001-01-09, $240,000 property; crops not reported (2001 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Newport Beach city (1 record), Seal Beach city (1 record). Zone-level records (12) apply countywide.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map.
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill0Wind chill: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage2 records, 2004 to 2022 (2 zone-level)No crop damage reported in 2 records.Countywide (zone-level records).Temperature: in event narratives only (local data needed).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)26 records, 2007 to 2009 (26 zone-level)167 days to 365 days (median 245 days); 3 with a recorded value365 days (12 months), 2009-01-01 to 2009-12-31, a run of 12 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)13 records, 1979 to 20190.25 in to 2 in (median 0.75 in); 13 with a recorded value2 in hail, 1979-01-31Hail, 2000-03-06, $75,000 property; crops not reported (2000 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Yorba Linda city (2 records), Anaheim city (1 record), Costa Mesa city (1 record), Garden Grove city (1 record), Huntington Beach city (1 record), Laguna Beach city (1 record), Laguna Hills city (1 record), San Clemente city (1 record), Tustin city (1 record).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)51 records, 1997 to 2026 (51 zone-level)1 day to 12 days (median 3 days); 35 with a recorded value12 consecutive days, 2023-07-11 to 2023-07-22, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Heat index: in event narratives only (local data needed). Heat records from November to March (unseasonable warmth, not a heat wave) are counted but not used for the longest run.
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson1 record, 2023 (1 zone-level)Strongest recorded: Tropical Storm record, 2023-08-20 to 2023-08-21, $0 property; $0 crops (2023 dollars); NWS zone CAZ057Countywide (zone-level records).Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)138 records, 1997 to 2026Flood, 2010-12-19, $36,000,000 property; $0 crops (2010 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: San Clemente city (10 records), Huntington Beach city (9 records), Seal Beach city (9 records), Irvine city (7 records), Yorba Linda city (7 records), Santa Ana city (6 records), Garden Grove city (4 records), Laguna Beach city (4 records), Placentia city (4 records), Tustin city (4 records); and 11 more jurisdictions (see the Excel file).Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)13 records, 2003 to 2023 (3 zone-level)Debris Flow, 2005-02-20, $300,000 property; crops not reported (2005 dollars), 1 direct death (reported for the zone); NWS zone CAZ057Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Mission Viejo city (1 record), San Clemente city (1 record). Zone-level records (3) apply countywide.Physical measure: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)4 records, 1998 to 2016Lightning, 2000-03-03, $50,000 property; crops not reported (2000 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Irvine city (1 record), Newport Beach city (1 record), San Clemente city (1 record).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties; physical measure in event narratives only (local data needed).
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)223 records, 1996 to 2026 (223 zone-level)26 kt (30 mph) to 104 kt (120 mph) (median 60 kt (69 mph)); 223 with a recorded value104 kt (120 mph), measurement type not recorded, High Wind, 1999-12-03; NWS zone CAZ057Strong Wind, 2017-02-17, $200,000 property; $0 crops, reported for the zone (2017 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)38 records, 1978 to 202626 kt (30 mph) to 81 kt (93 mph) (median 52 kt (60 mph)); 35 with a recorded value81 kt (93 mph) measured gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2010-01-19Thunderstorm Wind, 1998-12-06, $450,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Laguna Beach city (3 records), Newport Beach city (3 records), Costa Mesa city (2 records), Huntington Beach city (2 records), Orange city (2 records), San Clemente city (2 records), Brea city (1 record), Buena Park city (1 record), Fullerton city (1 record), Garden Grove city (1 record); and 6 more jurisdictions (see the Excel file).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)31 records, 1958 to 2010F/EF0 to F/EF3 (median F/EF0); 28 with a recorded valueF3 tornado, 1978-02-09, 2 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 67 yd wide, $2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1978 dollars), 6 direct injuriesTornado, 1993-01-17, $5,000,000 property; crops not recorded (1993 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Huntington Beach city (3 records), Newport Beach city (2 records), Brea city (1 record), Irvine city (1 record), Lake Forest city (1 record), Orange city (1 record), Santa Ana city (1 record), Seal Beach city (1 record), Tustin city (1 record).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Tsunaminone (count and damage only)3 records, 2015 to 2025 (3 zone-level)No damage reported in 3 records.Countywide (zone-level records).Physical measure: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)40 records, 1996 to 2024 (20 zone-level)Wildfire, 2022-05-11, $60,000,000 property; $0 crops (2022 dollars); NWS zone CAZ552Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Mission Viejo city (4 records), Lake Forest city (2 records), San Clemente city (2 records), Yorba Linda city (2 records), Anaheim city (1 record), Costa Mesa city (1 record), Garden Grove city (1 record), Laguna Beach city (1 record). Zone-level records (20) apply countywide.Acres burned: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)10 records, 1997 to 2023 (10 zone-level)Heavy Snow, 2019-02-21, $30,000 property; $0 crops (2019 dollars); NWS zone CAZ057Countywide (zone-level records).Snow depth: in event narratives only (local data needed).

Where a hazard names more than 10 jurisdictions, the table lists the 10 with the most records; every one is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-c Extent".

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records whose zone no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 42 declarations covering 34 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2026-05-252026-05-21EM-3646-CAEmergencyChemical ReleaseNon-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
2023-03-102023-03-09EM-3592-CAEmergencySevere Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslide, Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
2023-01-092023-01-08EM-3591-CAEmergencySevere Winter Storms, Flooding, and MudslidesInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslide, Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
2022-05-122022-05-11FM-5439-CAFire managementCoastal FireWildfireno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
2020-12-032020-12-03FM-5383-CAFire managementBond FireWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
2020-10-262020-10-26FM-5381-CAFire managementBlue Ridge FireWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
2020-10-262020-10-26FM-5380-CAFire managementSilverado FireWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
2020-03-222020-01-20DR-4482-CAMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$213,521,546.04
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3428-CAEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4482
2017-10-102017-10-08DR-4344-CAMajor disasterWildfiresWildfire$2,685,239.42
2017-10-092017-10-09FM-5223-CAFire managementCanyon 2 FireWildfireno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4344
2017-09-262017-09-25FM-5213-CAFire managementCanyon FireWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
2017-03-162017-01-18DR-4305-CAMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms, Flooding, and MudslidesInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslide, Winter Weather$4,108,333.72
2011-01-262010-12-17DR-1952-CAMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud FlowsInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Winter Weather$11,846,048.30
2008-11-182008-11-13DR-1810-CAMajor disasterWildfiresWildfire$2,146,095.15
2008-11-152008-11-15FM-2792-CAFire managementFreeway Fire ComplexWildfireno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-1810
2007-10-242007-10-21DR-1731-CAMajor disasterWildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, and Debris FlowsWildfire$2,547,928.83
2007-10-232007-10-21EM-3279-CAEmergencyWildfiresWildfireno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-1731
2007-10-222007-10-21FM-2737-CAFire managementSantiago FireWildfireno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-1731
2007-03-112007-03-11FM-2683-CAFire management241 FireWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
2006-02-062006-02-06FM-2630-CAFire managementSierra FireWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
2005-09-132005-08-29EM-3248-CAEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not counted$1,214.70
2005-04-142005-02-16DR-1585-CAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud and Debris FlowsInland Flooding; Landslide$30,740,786.15
2005-02-042004-12-27DR-1577-CAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and MudslidesInland Flooding; Landslide$16,064,610.35
2002-05-142002-05-13FM-2405-CAFire managementAntonio FireWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
1998-02-091998-02-02DR-1203-CAMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms and FloodingInland Flooding; Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1996-10-231996-10-21EM-3120-CAEmergencySevere FirestormsWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
1995-03-121995-02-13DR-1046-CAMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms, Flooding Landslides, Mud FlowInland Flooding; Landslide; Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1995-01-101995-01-03DR-1044-CAMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mud FlowsInland Flooding; Landslide; Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1994-01-171994-01-17DR-1008-CAMajor disasterNorthridge EarthquakeEarthquakeno Public Assistance recorded
1993-10-281993-10-26DR-1005-CAMajor disasterFires, Mud/Landslides, Flooding, Soil ErosionWildfire (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding, Landslideno Public Assistance recorded
1993-02-031993-01-05DR-979-CAMajor disasterSevere Winter Storm, Mud & Land Slides, & FloodingInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslide, Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1992-02-251992-02-10DR-935-CAMajor disasterRain/Snow/Wind Storms, Flooding, MudslidesInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslide, Strong Wind, Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1988-02-051988-01-17DR-812-CAMajor disasterSevere Storms, High Tides & FloodingInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Coastal Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1987-10-071987-10-01DR-799-CAMajor disasterEarthquake & AftershocksEarthquakePA not declared for this county
1983-02-091983-01-21DR-677-CAMajor disasterCoastal Storms, Floods, Slides & TornadoesCoastal Flooding; Inland Flooding; Landslide; Tornadono Public Assistance recorded
1982-04-241982-04-24DR-657-CAMajor disasterUrban FireWildfirePA not declared for this county
1980-11-271980-11-27DR-635-CAMajor disasterBrush & Timber FiresWildfireno Public Assistance recorded
1980-02-211980-01-08DR-615-CAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Mudslides & FloodingInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslideno Public Assistance recorded
1978-10-091978-10-09DR-566-CAMajor disasterLandslidesInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslideno Public Assistance recorded
1978-02-151978-02-15DR-547-CAMajor disasterCoastal Storms, Mudslides & FloodingCoastal Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslideno Public Assistance recorded
1969-01-261969-01-26DR-253-CAMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

School districts and special districts in this county: $25,554,968.15 (included in the county total above). Public Assistance matched by applicant name to the school districts and special districts FEMA lists as plan participants in this county. They have no row of their own in the jurisdiction table, so their total is listed here. These dollars are already included in the county PA column of the declarations table (the FEMA record places each applicant in this county), so this line is not added to it.

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1964-04-011964-04-01DR-169-CAMajor disasterSeismic Sea WaveTsunami
1963-12-211963-12-21DR-161-CAMajor disasterFlood Due to Broken DamOther, not an NRI hazard; not counted
1963-02-251963-02-25DR-145-CAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Heavy Rains & FloodingInland Flooding
1962-10-241962-10-24DR-138-CAMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Flooding
1962-03-061962-03-06DR-122-CAMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1961-11-161961-11-16DR-119-CAMajor disasterFire (Los Angeles County)Wildfire
1958-04-041958-04-04DR-82-CAMajor disasterHeavy Rainstorms & FloodInland Flooding
1956-12-291956-12-29DR-65-CAMajor disasterForest FireWildfire
1955-12-231955-12-23DR-47-CAMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding
1954-02-051954-02-05DR-15-CAMajor disasterFlood & ErosionInland Flooding

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

5 Fire Management declarations (1977-08-07 to 1988-09-13) FEMA filed as Statewide with no county; each names one local fire. Listed on the state page.

Public Assistance filed under this county for declarations that do not list it: 1 row, $249,401.57

Sources: 2, 3

FEMA numberDeclaredTitleApplicantPA obligatedfederal share obligated, nominal dollars
DR-4431-CA2019-05-01Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesOrange County Water District$249,401.57

FEMA's Public Assistance summaries file these applicants under this county, but FEMA's declaration rows for these disasters do not designate it (an electric cooperative or district serving several counties, for example). Not in any declaration row above and not counted.

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Avalanche0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Coastal Flooding14404301996 to 2026-06-30
Cold Wave2101001996 to 2026-06-30Includes 2 Frost/Freeze records.
Drought26000001996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000020Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail13000001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave5117819001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane1101001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding1384011461721996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide133231421996 to 2026-06-30
Lightning4000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind261481156101955 to 2026-06-30Includes 195 High Wind and 28 Strong Wind records.
Tornado31000101950 to 2026-06-30
Tsunami3202001996 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire407171511996 to 2026-06-30
Winter Weather10202921996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2026-06-09Storm Surge/Tide$0 property; $0 crops, reported for the zone (2026 dollars)1, 0NWS zone CAZ552 (ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsdeaths or injuries recorded
2023-07-11Excessive Heat$0 property; $0 crops, reported for the zone (2023 dollars)0, 0NWS zone CAZ554 (ORANGE COUNTY INLAND), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2022-05-11Wildfire$60,000,000 property; $0 crops, reported for the zone (2022 dollars)0, 0NWS zone CAZ552 (ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Wildfire
2010-12-19Flood$36,000,000 property; $0 crops (2010 dollars)0, 0SAN CLEMENTE to SUNSET BEACHB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2010-01-19Thunderstorm Wind81 kt (93 mph) measured gust$350,000 property; $0 crops (2010 dollars)0, 0COSTA MESA to NEWPORT BEACHB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2005-02-20Debris Flow$300,000 property; crops not reported, reported for the zone (2005 dollars)1, 0NWS zone CAZ057 (NE ORANGE), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded
2001-01-09Storm Surge/Tide$240,000 property; crops not reported (2001 dollars)0, 0SEAL BEACHB1-c worst recorded: Coastal Flood, Storm Surge/Tide
2000-03-03Lightning$50,000 property; crops not reported (2000 dollars)0, 0NEWPORT BEACHB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
1999-12-03High Wind104 kt (120 mph), measurement type not recorded$20,000 property; crops not reported, reported for the zone (1999 dollars)0, 0NWS zone CAZ057 (SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1998-02-23Flash Flood$29,700,000 property; $280,000 crops (1998 dollars)2, 2COUNTYWIDEdeaths or injuries recorded
1979-01-31Hail2 indamage not recorded (pre-1996 record)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Hail
1978-02-09TornadoF3, 2 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 67 yd wide$2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1978 dollars)0, 6location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Tornado

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (607 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Avalanche0.01events per yearabout 1 in 100 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)01994 to 2023 (30 years)see B1-f0.01 is NRI's minimum avalanche frequency for a county in an avalanche susceptibility zone; NRI records no avalanche here, so the descriptor reflects the floor, not local events.
Coastal Flooding2.13events per year at a location (modeled)about 2.1 per year at a given location in the countyHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-fDescriptor from NRI: the rate at a location is 1 or more a year, so the county rate is at least that.
Cold Wave0event-days per yearnone modeledevent-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)02005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events cold wave record, 1996 to 2025.
Drought62.6event-days per yearabout 62.6 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 3 of 30 years)event-days in 3 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (10%)2,5692000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.0975annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 9.75%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail0.104events per yearabout 1 in 10 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)4.0 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave7.41event-days per yearabout 7.41 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 13 of 30 years)event-days in 13 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (43.3%)81.22005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricane0events per yearnone modeledUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)01851 to 2024 (Atlantic); 1949 to 2024 (Pacific)see B1-fNRI counts hurricane and tropical storm tracks passing within storm-force wind range; federal declarations are in B1-d.
Inland Flooding2.89event-days per yearabout 2.89 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 25 of 30 years)event-days in 25 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (83.3%)811996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide17.8events per year (modeled)about 17.8 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning7.43days per year with a strikeabout 7.43 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind0.175events per yearabout 1 in 6 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)61986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.129events per yearabout 1 in 8 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Tsunami0.388annual probability at the most exposed location (used in place of a county value)chance at the county's most exposed location in a year: 38.8%Likely (from Storm Events: 3 of 30 years)Storm Events records in 3 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (10%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fDescriptor from Storm Events, not NRI.
Wildfire0.0107annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 1.07%Likely (from Storm Events: 18 of 30 years)Storm Events records in 18 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (60%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fDescriptor from Storm Events, not NRI.
Winter Weather0.201event-days per yearabout 0.201 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 7 of 30 years)event-days in 7 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (23.3%)3.192005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 20254300.133
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20250300
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202515300.5
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20256300.2
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 202510300.333
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20257300.233
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20250300
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Avalanche3 of 6134.75.05.5Very Low 3, Not Applicable 610
Coastal Flooding90 of 61369.683.099.9Very High 2, Relatively High 6, Relatively Moderate 10, Relatively Low 50, Very Low 22, No Rating 523
Cold Wave0 of 613No Rating 613
Drought43 of 61366.974.289.6Relatively Low 3, Very Low 40, No Rating 570
Earthquake613 of 61374.692.3100.0Very High 77, Relatively High 400, Relatively Moderate 134, Relatively Low 2
Hail613 of 6132.824.257.4Relatively Low 32, Very Low 581
Heat Wave613 of 6131.823.873.8Relatively Moderate 7, Relatively Low 409, Very Low 197
Hurricane0 of 613No Rating 613
Inland Flooding613 of 6133.374.3100.0Very High 84, Relatively High 186, Relatively Moderate 212, Relatively Low 117, Very Low 14
Landslide574 of 6138.960.699.9Very High 1, Relatively High 14, Relatively Moderate 46, Relatively Low 111, Very Low 402, No Rating 39
Lightning612 of 6130.44.033.8Relatively Low 1, Very Low 611, No Rating 1
Strong Wind613 of 6131.79.529.1Relatively Low 3, Very Low 610
Tornado613 of 6132.918.648.9Relatively Low 33, Very Low 580
Tsunami55 of 61312.340.788.7Relatively Moderate 3, Relatively Low 19, Very Low 33, No Rating 12, Not Applicable 546
Wildfire260 of 61318.673.7100.0Very High 14, Relatively High 27, Relatively Moderate 38, Relatively Low 63, Very Low 118, No Rating 353
Winter Weather23 of 61310.510.615.8Very Low 23, No Rating 590

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for drought, hail, heat wave, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
Orange CountyCountyApproved, expires 2026-12-26FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 11$180,664,202.600 total; 0 since its planIncludes $173,716,030.32 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA, EM-3248-CA).
Aliso Viejo cityCityApproved, expires 2029-07-17FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$45,308.850 total; 0 since its plan
Anaheim cityCityApproved, expires 2027-09-05FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$3,939,002.965 total; 0 since its planIncludes $606,168.07 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Brea cityCityApproved, expires 2029-10-29FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$475,654.563 total; 0 since its planIncludes $121,520.22 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Buena Park cityCityApproved, expires 2027-12-19FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$503,510.731 total; 1 since its planIncludes $503,510.73 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Costa Mesa cityCityApproved, expires 2028-04-17FMA RL 1, SRL 1; any 4$1,431,853.357 total; 0 since its planIncludes $1,335,061.03 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Dana Point cityCityApproved, expires 2030-02-04FMA RL 0, SRL 1; any 1$530,452.720 total; 0 since its planIncludes $186,403.49 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Fountain Valley cityCityApproved, expires 2030-11-09FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 1$126,043.660 total; 0 since its planIncludes $119,798.87 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Fullerton cityCityApproved, expires 2031-07-08FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 2$374,886.452 total; not yet coveredIncludes $208,207.90 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Garden Grove cityCityExpired on 2025-09-17FMA RL 0, SRL 1; any 5$17,011.387 total; 0 since its plan
Huntington Beach cityCityApproved, expires 2028-01-13FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 8$4,722,413.3715 total; 4 since its planIncludes $4,258,379.06 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Irvine cityCityNo approved plan on record. Approvable pending adoption, not yet eligibleFMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$2,040,125.309 total; no approved planIncludes $1,532,458.90 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
La Habra cityCityExpired on 2025-04-13FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$112,454.081 total; 0 since its plan
La Palma cityCityExpired on 2025-04-16FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Laguna Beach cityCityApproved, expires 2028-12-21FMA RL 8, SRL 6; any 31$25,533,428.369 total; 0 since its planIncludes $181,216.19 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Laguna Hills cityCityApproved, expires 2030-04-14FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$10,081.375 total; 0 since its plan
Laguna Niguel cityCityApproved, expires 2029-01-22FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$438,076.820 total; 0 since its planIncludes $86,894.62 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Laguna Woods cityCityExpired on 2018-05-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$8,027.290 total; 0 since its planIncludes $8,027.29 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Lake Forest cityCityApproved, expires 2029-09-05FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$215,264.263 total; 0 since its plan
Mission Viejo cityCityApproved, expires 2030-04-14FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 1$2,603,062.729 total; 0 since its planIncludes $497,629.51 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Newport Beach cityCityExpired on 2021-09-26FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 8$518,699.068 total; 1 since its plan
Orange cityCityApproved, expires 2031-05-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$499,346.613 total; 0 since its planIncludes $85,269.27 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Placentia cityCityApproved, expires 2029-07-17FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$70,418.264 total; 0 since its planIncludes $57,758.26 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Rancho Santa Margarita cityCityApproved, expires 2030-07-15FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$75,270.040 total; 0 since its plan
San Clemente cityCityApproved, expires 2030-04-14FMA RL 1, SRL 1; any 5$1,239,849.9117 total; 0 since its plan
San Juan Capistrano cityCityExpired on 2025-04-22FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 1$4,658,465.262 total; 1 since its plan
Santa Ana cityCityApproved, expires 2028-02-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 7$886,781.128 total; 2 since its planIncludes $381,590.90 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Seal Beach cityCityApproved, expires 2030-11-16FMA RL 0, SRL 1; any 13$75,688.9311 total; 0 since its plan
Stanton cityCityApproved, expires 2028-04-17FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan
Tustin cityCityExpired on 2024-11-06FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$131,406.997 total; 3 since its planIncludes $87,666.32 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Villa Park cityCityExpired on 2026-07-13FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$305,655.371 total; 0 since its planIncludes $11,663.17 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Westminster cityCityExpired on 2021-05-13FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 3$134,366.702 total; 2 since its planIncludes $125,791.68 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4482-CA).
Yorba Linda cityCityApproved, expires 2028-10-22FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$940,207.5912 total; 0 since its plan

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

School districts and special districts get a plan clock row only.

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2021-12-27county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Avalanche$2,115,116n/aunder 1$2n/a$140.000105%
Coastal Flooding$227,200,148,733n/a1,407,001$8,410,595n/a$2,5420.0037%$0
Cold Wave$0$00$0$0$0$0building exposure is 0 in NRI
Droughtn/a$104,082,934n/an/a$36,627n/a0.0352% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$1,036,878,807,347n/a3,186,989$706,143,269n/a$309,194,3220.0681%
Hail$606,399,782,637$106,232,0763,183,647$900,264$441$36,6780.000148%
Heat Wave$606,392,893,807$106,232,0763,183,636$5,894$6,845$11,014,018under 0.0001%$0
Hurricane$606,399,782,637$106,232,0763,183,647$0$0$00%$0
Inland Flooding$605,852,900,878$5,118,118104,939$818,458,922$42,587$1,429,482n/a (see note)$10,000no Public Assistance recorded (2 declarations)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$19,882,297,040n/a78,135$942,120n/a$3,237,1300.00474%$30,000no Public Assistance recorded (2 declarations)
Lightning$606,399,782,637n/a3,183,647$5,801n/a$482,869under 0.0001%
Strong Wind$606,399,782,637$106,232,0763,183,647$339,316$1,650$311,609under 0.0001%$2,000$74,000Storm Events damage since the plan includes 1 zone-level High Wind record ($40,000) and 7 zone-level Strong Wind records ($34,000): NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition.
Tornado$606,399,782,637$106,232,0763,183,647$3,429,754$610$1,917,9960.000566%
Tsunami$38,426,334,141n/a75,685$2,529,600n/a$00.00658%$0
Wildfire$16,625,760,768$74,070,839112,865$54,812,095$3,585$2,769,9450.33%$110,140,000no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)
Winter Weather$1,500,418,974$260,6595,810$2under $1$131under 0.0001%$0no Public Assistance recorded (2 declarations)

Totals since 2021-12-27 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 47 county-coded records, 45 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $42,000; 78 zone-level records, 72 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $110,214,000 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: none recorded on the 3 counted declarations.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population3,183,647
Building value (total, not at risk)$606,399,782,637
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$106,232,076
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very High
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$1,596,069,979
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$330,396,735
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively Low
Community resilience ratingVery Low
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)10Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)11
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition100Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition9

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county and state-level rows

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total10111009103030
of which: Orange County (unincorporated area)001101100
of which: Costa Mesa city1141402
of which: Fountain Valley city0010100
of which: Fullerton city0020202
of which: Garden Grove city0151501
of which: Laguna Beach city8628531010
of which: Newport Beach city0080801
of which: San Clemente city1150502
of which: San Juan Capistrano city0010101
of which: Santa Ana city0070702
of which: Seal Beach city011311305
of which: Westminster city0030300
of which: Mission Viejo city0010100
of which: Dana Point city0111101
of which: Huntington Beach city0080803
of which: Unknown (community ID Unknown in FEMA data)0020200
Statewide, no county in FEMA's file0130410

The statewide row counts properties FEMA's file gives with no county in this state; they are listed for reference and are not in this county's counts.

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Orange County060212001101100
Aliso Viejo city0607700000000
Anaheim city0602130000000
Brea city0602140000000
Buena Park city0602150000000
Costa Mesa city0602161141402
Dana Point city0607360111101
Fountain Valley city0602180010100
Fullerton city0602190020202
Garden Grove city0602200151501
Huntington Beach city0650340080803
Irvine city0602220000000
La Habra city0602240000000
La Palma city0602250000000
Laguna Beach city0602238628531010
Laguna Hills city0607600000000
Laguna Niguel city0607640000000
Laguna Woods city0607680000000
Lake Forest city0607590000000
Mission Viejo city0607350010100
Newport Beach city0602270080801
Orange city0602280000000
Placentia city0602290000000
Rancho Santa Margarita city0607690000000
San Clemente city0602301150502
San Juan Capistrano city0602310010101
Santa Ana city0602320070702
Seal Beach city060233011311305
Stanton city0602340000000
Tustin city0602350000000
Villa Park city0602360000000
Westminster city0602370030300
Yorba Linda city0602380000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential8871674022
2 to 4 unit residential001101102
other residential0060600
non-residential231231206
not reported0000000

FEMA's occupancy groups have no institutional class; institutional properties are counted in non-residential or other residential in the table by occupancy group.

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 3 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 93 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment, organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B. Each section heading names the item its tables support; the plan and FEMA's review decide whether the item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

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).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Orange County, CA: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 06059). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/ca/06059/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: contact@hazardplain.org

Hazard Plain release 2026-10. As of 2026-09-30; Storm Events data through 2026-06-30. Automated baseline.