On FEMA’s figures, Hillcrest faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hillcrest gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #53 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (62%), then river and rain flooding (38%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Hillcrest 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 Hillcrest’s grade
Earthquakes are 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hillcrest, and Hillcrest’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 38% (lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #53 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hillcrest’s residents live in 4 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, Hillcrest has less expected damage per building than 94% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Hillcrest: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hillcrest flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hillcrest. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hillcrest isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kern County.The storms Hillcrest remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Kern County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hillcrest itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Kern County has had 22 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 15 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Kern County, 2002–2024.
Hillcrest and its neighbors
Hillcrest has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillcrest | B−more damage than 51% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Bakersfield Country Club | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bakersfield | Cmore damage than 71% | earthquakes | 15 |
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 Hillcrest 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 Hillcrest
Is Hillcrest at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hillcrest has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #53 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (62%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Hillcrest 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 Kern County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hillcrest?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hillcrest’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Hillcrest at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Hillcrest’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hillcrest.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hillcrest’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.