Natural Disasters in Solvang, CA
Hazard risk, disaster history, and FEMA data
Natural Hazard Risk
Source: FEMA National Risk IndexRisk Score
99.0
Relatively High
Expected Annual Loss
98.9
Score (0-100)
Social Vulnerability
60.2
Score (0-100)
Community Resilience
60.9
Score (0-100)
Scores range from 0 (lowest risk) to 100 (highest risk) relative to all U.S. communities. Data from FEMA National Risk Index.
Disaster History & Federal Spending
Source: FEMATotal Declarations
43
Public Assistance
$129.6M
Individual Assistance
$225K
Most Common Type
Fire
15 declarations
Public Assistance by Category
| Disaster | Type | Date | PA $ | IA $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Floodin… → | Severe Storm | Apr 2024 | $3.6M | — |
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Wind… → | Severe Storm | Apr 2023 | $3.9M | — |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslid… → | Flood | Mar 2023 | — | — |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslid… → | Flood | Jan 2023 | $29.2M | $182K |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Muds… → | Flood | Jan 2023 | — | — |
| Alisal Fire → | Fire | Oct 2021 | — | — |
| Covid-19 Pandemic → | Biological | Mar 2020 | $17.3M | $14K |
| Covid-19 → | Biological | Mar 2020 | — | — |
| Cave Fire → | Fire | Nov 2019 | — | — |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslid… → | Severe Storm | May 2019 | $1.4M | — |
| Holiday Fire → | Fire | Jul 2018 | — | — |
| Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflows, and Debri… → | Fire | Jan 2018 | $50.5M | — |
| Wildfires → | Fire | Dec 2017 | — | — |
| Thomas Fire → | Fire | Dec 2017 | — | — |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Muds… → | Flood | Apr 2017 | $3.1M | — |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Muds… → | Flood | Mar 2017 | $582K | — |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debr… → | Flood | Jan 2011 | $1.2M | — |
| Jesusita Fire → | Fire | May 2009 | — | — |
| Wildfires → | Fire | Nov 2008 | $2.2M | — |
| Tea Fire → | Fire | Nov 2008 | — | — |
Showing 20 of 43 disasters
PA = FEMA Public Assistance (infrastructure recovery). IA = Individual Assistance (homeowner/renter aid).
Flood Insurance (NFIP)
Source: FEMA NFIPTotal Claims
1,308
Total Claims Paid
$31,353,593
Avg Claim Payout
$23,971
County-level NFIP data from FEMA National Flood Insurance Program.
Hazard Mitigation
Source: FEMA Hazard Mitigation AssistanceMitigation Projects
37
Federal Funding
$26,819,261
Properties Protected
16
Avg Benefit-Cost Ratio
4.58
BCR
Top Mitigation Project Types
| Project Type | Projects | Federal $ |
|---|---|---|
| 91.1: Local Multihazard Mitigation Plan | 5 | $384,759 |
| 205.6: Structural Retrofitting/Rehabilitating Public Structures - Seismic | 5 | $4,711,206 |
| 403.1: Stormwater Management - Culverts | 2 | $1,023,179 |
| 403.4: Stormwater Management - Detention/Retention Basins | 2 | $2,141,037 |
| 403.8: Floodwater and Mudflow diversions - post-wildfire | 2 | $1,443,951 |
Federally funded projects to reduce future disaster risk. Only includes completed or obligated projects.
Solvang has a relatively high overall natural hazard risk rating according to FEMA's National Risk Index. The top hazard risks are landslide, drought, earthquake. The area has had 43 federal disaster declarations. The most common disaster type is fire (15 declarations). 1,308 flood insurance claims have been filed in the area. FEMA has obligated $129,579,081 in public assistance recovery funding. $224,678 has been distributed in individual assistance to disaster-affected residents. 37 hazard mitigation projects have been funded to reduce future risk.