Photo: Bruce Fingerhood from Springfield, Oregon, US · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Colton, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colton gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #770 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (50%), then river and rain flooding (48%). Flood insurance has paid 8 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 Colton 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 Colton’s grade
Earthquakes are 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Colton, and Colton’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 48%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #770 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Colton’s residents live in 18 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, Colton has more expected damage per building than 91% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $57.0M a year in losses across Colton: $43.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Colton flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Colton, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Colton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: San Bernardino County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Colton
Disasters that paid out in Colton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Colton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides17 households applied for aid$600 aid approved
- 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$40K to the City of Colton for repairs
- 2007Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, and Debris Flows11 households applied for aid$90 aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides17 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$15K to the City of Colton for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T67 households applied for aid$40K aid approved
San Bernardino County has had 34 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 24 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Bernardino County, 2002–2024.
Old photos of Colton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Colton archive →Colton and its neighbors
Colton is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rialto | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 6 |
| Grand Terrace | D−more damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Colton | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 8 |
| San Bernardino | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 87 |
| Loma Linda | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 7 |
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 Colton 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 Colton
Is Colton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colton has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #770 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (50%) and river and rain flooding (48%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Colton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Colton since 1983, $129K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Colton 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 San Bernardino County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Colton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Colton’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 Colton?
By FEMA money that reached Colton, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows (2010): $40K to the City of Colton for repairs.
Is Colton at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Colton’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Colton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Colton’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.