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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pine Mountain Club · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Pine Mountain Club, led by wildfire

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Mountain Club gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #759 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (44%), then earthquakes (39%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Wildfire 44%Earthquakes 39%River and rain flooding 16%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#759 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#759 of 847
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Wildfire
44% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 22 declared for Kern County
By hazard

What Pine Mountain Club faces

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

Wildfire

44%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

39%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

16%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Pine Mountain Club’s grade

Wildfire is 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pine Mountain Club, and Pine Mountain Club’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 39%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pine Mountain Club sits
Pine Mountain Club
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #759 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Pine Mountain Club’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Wildfire44%Earthquakes39%River and rain flooding16%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pine Mountain Club has more expected damage per building than 90% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.1M a year in losses across Pine Mountain Club: $7.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pine Mountain Club’s 2,422 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Pine Mountain Club flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pine Mountain Club. 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

Pine Mountain Club 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.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Pine Mountain Club

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

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides25 households applied for aid$48K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Pine Mountain ClubKern County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Pine Mountain Club archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Pine Mountain Club 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Pine Mountain Club

Is Pine Mountain Club at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Mountain Club has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #759 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (44%) and earthquakes (39%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Pine Mountain Club 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 Pine Mountain Club?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pine Mountain Club’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 Pine Mountain Club?

By FEMA money that reached Pine Mountain Club, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 25 households applied for aid, $48K approved.

Is Pine Mountain Club at risk from wildfire?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Pine Mountain Club’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pine Mountain Club.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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