Photo: inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +) · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Banning than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Banning gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #775 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (40%), then wildfire (36%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1995.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Banning faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Banning’s grade
Earthquakes are 40% of the building damage FEMA expects in Banning, and Banning’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 36%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #775 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Banning’s residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Banning has more expected damage per building than 91% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $29.6M a year in losses across Banning: $24.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Banning flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Banning, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Banning isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Riverside County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Banning
Disasters that paid out in Banning itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Banning), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$283K to the City of Banning for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$109K to the City of Banning for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$304K to the City of Banning for repairs
- 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T7 households applied for aid$500 aid approved
Riverside County has had 33 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 30 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Riverside County, 2003–2026.
Old photos of Banning after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Banning archive →Banning and its neighbors
Banning has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banning | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 2 |
| Beaumont | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | 2 |
| Cherry Valley | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | — |
| Cabazon | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | — |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Banning faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Banning
Is Banning at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Banning has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #775 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (40%) and wildfire (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Banning flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Banning since 1995, $10K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Banning in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Riverside County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Banning?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Banning’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Banning?
By FEMA money that reached Banning, Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides (2004): 3 households applied for aid, $1K approved, and $304K to the City of Banning for repairs.
Is Banning at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (40%), and Banning’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Banning.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Banning’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.