Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Joshua Tree’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Joshua Tree gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #390 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then earthquakes (40%). 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 Joshua Tree faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
Wildfire
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 Joshua Tree’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Joshua Tree, and Joshua Tree’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 40%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D #390 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Joshua Tree’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, Joshua Tree has less expected damage per building than 54% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.7M a year in losses across Joshua Tree: $4.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Joshua Tree flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Joshua Tree. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Joshua Tree 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Joshua Tree
Disasters that paid out in Joshua Tree itself (aid to households or repair grants to Joshua Tree), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides9 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$2K 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 Joshua Tree after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Joshua Tree archive →Joshua Tree and its neighbors
Joshua Tree has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Tree | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Yucca Valley | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
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 Joshua Tree faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Joshua Tree
Is Joshua Tree at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Joshua Tree has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #390 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and earthquakes (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Joshua Tree 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 Joshua Tree?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Joshua Tree’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 Joshua Tree?
By FEMA money that reached Joshua Tree, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 9 households applied for aid, $6K approved.
Is Joshua Tree at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Joshua Tree’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Joshua Tree.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Joshua Tree’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.