Photo: Bishopvisitor · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Bishop than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bishop gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #371 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (69%), then river and rain flooding (30%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1983.
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 Bishop faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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 Bishop’s grade
Earthquakes are 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bishop, and Bishop’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 30% (higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts).
D #371 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bishop’s residents live in 2 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, Bishop has less expected damage per building than 56% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.5M a year in losses across Bishop: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bishop flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bishop, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bishop isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Inyo County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bishop
Disasters that paid out in Bishop itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bishop), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides10 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
Inyo County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Inyo County, 2007–2007.
Old photos of Bishop after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bishop archive →Bishop and its neighbors
Bishop is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Bishop | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bishop | Dmore damage than 91% | earthquakes | 2 |
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 Bishop 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.
- 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 Bishop
Is Bishop at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bishop has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #371 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (69%) and river and rain flooding (30%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bishop flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Bishop since 1983, $9K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bishop 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 Inyo County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bishop?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bishop’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 Bishop?
By FEMA money that reached Bishop, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 10 households applied for aid, $14K approved.
Is Bishop at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Bishop’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bishop.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bishop’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.