Flood Help Guide

Alameda County flood history

California · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08

568NFIP flood claims since 1978
$4.6 millionPaid on those claims
$35,872Average paid claimlast 10 years
0.8%Homes with NFIP flood insurance
8Flood disaster declarationssince 2000

FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 568 flood insurance claims in Alameda County, California since 1978. The NFIP paid $4.6 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).

The year with the most claims was 1998, with 103, mostly from Pineapple Express - Southern.

In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 114 claims, and the average paid claim was $35,872.

60% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).

About 0.8% of homes in Alameda County, California had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (3,420 of 405,480 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 36% (2,461 of 6,841).

Since 2000, FEMA has made 8 flood-related disaster declarations covering Alameda County, California. The most recent was DR-4699-CA (Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared April 3, 2023.

NFIP claims by year

NFIP flood claims per year in Alameda County, California0501001502001978: 21 claims, $46,732 paid1979: 7 claims, $11,880 paid1980: 17 claims, $58,329 paid19801981: 6 claims, $6,644 paid1982: 72 claims, $60,150 paid1983: 40 claims, $80,493 paid1984: 2 claims, $0 paid1985: 2 claims, $0 paid1986: 25 claims, $151,508 paid1987: 3 claims, $1,988 paid1988: 2 claims, $631 paid1989: 3 claims, $8,669 paid19901991: 2 claims, $0 paid1992: 3 claims, $0 paid1993: 5 claims, $13,686 paid1994: 3 claims, $0 paid1995: 33 claims, $366,441 paid1996: 11 claims, $12,316 paid1997: 19 claims, $91,919 paid1998: 103 claims, $1.1 million paid1999: 6 claims, $58,148 paid2000: 4 claims, $510 paid20002001: 6 claims, $2,133 paid2002: 5 claims, $24,889 paid2003: 2 claims, $10,396 paid2004: 2 claims, $5,119 paid2005: 5 claims, $40,387 paid2006: 2 claims, $1,081 paid2008: 4 claims, $29,078 paid2009: 3 claims, $3,118 paid2010: 3 claims, $6,615 paid20102011: 7 claims, $17,393 paid2012: 7 claims, $3,447 paid2013: 1 claims, $771 paid2014: 8 claims, $37,465 paid2015: 1 claims, $2,455 paid2016: 9 claims, $53,848 paid2017: 14 claims, $9,502 paid2018: 1 claims, $0 paid2019: 4 claims, $12,252 paid2020: 1 claims, $0 paid20202021: 8 claims, $90,793 paid2022: 43 claims, $1.2 million paid2023: 35 claims, $472,125 paid2024: 5 claims, $500,000 paid2025: 2 claims, $32,842 paid2026: 1 claims, $5,697 paid
Claims per year of loss. Hover or tap a bar for details.
Show as a table
YearClaimsPaid
20261$5,697
20252$32,842
20245$500,000
202335$472,125
202243$1.2 million
20218$90,793
20201$0
20194$12,252
20181$0
201714$9,502
20169$53,848
20151$2,455
20148$37,465
20131$771
20127$3,447
20117$17,393
20103$6,615
20093$3,118
20084$29,078
20062$1,081
20055$40,387
20042$5,119
20032$10,396
20025$24,889
20016$2,133
20004$510
19996$58,148
1998103$1.1 million
199719$91,919
199611$12,316
199533$366,441
19943$0
19935$13,686
19923$0
19912$0
19893$8,669
19882$631
19873$1,988
198625$151,508
19852$0
19842$0
198340$80,493
198272$60,150
19816$6,644
198017$58,329
19797$11,880
197821$46,732

Named flood events

EventYearClaimsPaid
California Atmospheric River202241$1.2 million
Pineapple Express - Southern199890$1.1 million
California Atmospheric River202332$472,125
Flooding199527$342,758
Flooding198620$151,508
Flooding199711$67,569
Flooding198318$65,861
Flooding198256$56,153

How many homes have flood insurance

FEMA counts 3,420 residential NFIP policies in Alameda County, against 405,480 residential buildings (0.8%). Of the 6,841 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 2,461 have an NFIP policy (36%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.

Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?

Flood-related disaster declarations

DeclarationDeclaredEventHelp for individuals
DR-4699-CA Apr 3, 2023 Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides Yes
DR-4683-CA Jan 14, 2023 Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides Yes
EM-3591-CA Jan 9, 2023 Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides No
DR-4308-CA Apr 1, 2017 Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides No
DR-4305-CA Mar 16, 2017 Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides No
DR-4301-CA Feb 14, 2017 Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides No
DR-1646-CA Jun 5, 2006 Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides No
DR-1628-CA Feb 3, 2006 Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides Yes

Check your own address

County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of California.

Where these numbers come from

All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:

FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.