Mission de la Purisima Concepcion de Maria Santisima Site · Photo: Jsweida · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Lompoc than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lompoc gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #368 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then earthquakes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1998.
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 Lompoc 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
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 Lompoc’s grade
River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lompoc, and Lompoc’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Landslides add 13%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #368 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lompoc’s residents live in 13 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, Lompoc has less expected damage per building than 57% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $26.5M a year in losses across Lompoc: $17.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lompoc flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lompoc, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern2 claims · $12K
Lompoc isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Santa Barbara County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lompoc
Disasters that paid out in Lompoc itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lompoc), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides184 households applied for aid$326K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides16 households applied for aid$313 aid approved
Santa Barbara County has had 32 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 8 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Barbara County, 2004–2021.
Old photos of Lompoc after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lompoc archive →Lompoc and its neighbors
Lompoc 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lompoc | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Mission Hills | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Lompoc 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.
- 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 Lompoc
Is Lompoc at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lompoc has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #368 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and earthquakes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lompoc flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Lompoc since 1998, $12K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (2).
Is Lompoc 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 Santa Barbara County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lompoc?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lompoc’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 Lompoc?
By FEMA money that reached Lompoc, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 184 households applied for aid, $326K approved. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 2 paid, $12K.
Is Lompoc at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Lompoc’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lompoc.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lompoc’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.