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Pseudotsuga macrocarpa LytleCreek2Photo: joedecruyenaere on Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Lytle Creek · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Lytle Creek

Lytle Creek isn’t graded for hazard risk: Lytle Creek has 672 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 34 declared for San Bernardino County
By hazard

What Lytle Creek faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

48%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 13 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Landslides

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 0%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts landslides at 27% of Lytle Creek’s expected losses. Landslides do little damage to buildings (14.3%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Lytle Creek flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lytle Creek. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Lytle Creek 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.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lytle Creek

Disasters that paid out in Lytle Creek itself (aid to households or repair grants to Lytle Creek), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$28K aid approved
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  3. 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T137 households applied for aid$542K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Lytle CreekSan Bernardino County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Lytle Creek after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Lytle Creek archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Lytle Creek faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Landslides
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Lytle Creek

Is Lytle Creek 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 Lytle Creek?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lytle Creek’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 Lytle Creek?

By FEMA money that reached Lytle Creek, Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T (2003): 137 households applied for aid, $542K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lytle Creek.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lytle Creek’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.