Photo: Scottthezombie (Transferred by JaumeBG/Originally uploaded by Scottthezombie) · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Crestline than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Crestline gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #805 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (50%), then earthquakes (28%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1980.
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 Crestline faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
Landslides
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 Crestline’s grade
Wildfire is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Crestline, and Crestline’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 28%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #805 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Crestline’s residents live in 5 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, Crestline has more expected damage per building than 95% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $20.1M a year in losses across Crestline: $15.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Crestline flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Crestline, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Crestline 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Crestline
Disasters that paid out in Crestline itself (aid to households or repair grants to Crestline), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides654 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved
- 2007Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, and Debris Flows554 households applied for aid$39K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides65 households applied for aid$59K aid approved
- 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T1,547 households applied for aid$338K 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 Crestline after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Crestline archive →Crestline and its neighbors
Crestline 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Arrowhead | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | 2 |
| Crestline | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | 9 |
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 Crestline faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Watch for new cracks, tilting trees or suddenly muddy streams after heavy rain.
- Stay off steep slopes in a downpour.
- Leave if you hear rumbling upslope.
- 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 Crestline
Is Crestline at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Crestline has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #805 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (50%) and earthquakes (28%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Crestline flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Crestline since 1980, $18K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Crestline 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 Crestline?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Crestline’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 Crestline?
By FEMA money that reached Crestline, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 654 households applied for aid, $1.5M approved.
Is Crestline at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Crestline’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Crestline.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Crestline’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.