On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Piñon Hills, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Piñon Hills gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #783 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (43%), then river and rain flooding (38%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2025.
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 Piñon Hills 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
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 Piñon Hills’ grade
Earthquakes are 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in Piñon Hills, and Piñon Hills’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 38%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #783 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Piñon Hills’ 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, Piñon Hills has more expected damage per building than 92% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.4M a year in losses across Piñon Hills: $5.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Piñon Hills flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2025
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Piñon Hills, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Piñon Hills 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.The storms Piñon Hills remembers
None of the 34 disasters declared for San Bernardino County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Piñon Hills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20252 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Piñon Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Piñon Hills archive →Piñon Hills and its neighbors
Piñon Hills is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phelan | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 2 |
| Piñon Hills | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 2 |
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 Piñon Hills 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.
- 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 Piñon Hills
Is Piñon Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Piñon Hills has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #783 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (43%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Piñon Hills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Piñon Hills since 2025, $67K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Piñon Hills 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 Piñon Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Piñon Hills’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Piñon Hills at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and Piñon Hills’ rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Piñon Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Piñon Hills’ 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.