Photo: GeorgeLouis · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Lamont than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lamont gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #193 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (59%), then river and rain flooding (40%). 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 Lamont 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 Lamont’s grade
Earthquakes are 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lamont, and Lamont’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 40% (higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #193 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lamont’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, Lamont has less expected damage per building than 77% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.4M a year in losses across Lamont: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lamont flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lamont, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Lamont 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 Lamont remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Kern County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lamont itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19832 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides and Tornadoes, declared for Kern County
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.
Old photos of Lamont after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lamont archive →Lamont and its neighbors
Lamont 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamont | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Weedpatch | Dmore damage than 88% | 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 Lamont 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 Lamont
Is Lamont at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lamont has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #193 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (59%) and river and rain flooding (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lamont flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Lamont since 1983, $9K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Lamont 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 Lamont?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lamont’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Lamont at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Lamont’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lamont.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lamont’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.