Photo: JMBeggs'nCali · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Ridgecrest’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgecrest gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #226 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (54%), then river and rain flooding (45%). Flood insurance has paid 22 claims here since 1984.
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 Ridgecrest 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 Ridgecrest’s grade
Earthquakes are 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ridgecrest, and Ridgecrest’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 45% (higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts).
D #226 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ridgecrest’s residents live in 9 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, Ridgecrest has less expected damage per building than 73% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.0M a year in losses across Ridgecrest: $11.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ridgecrest flood? Sometimes: 22 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ridgecrest, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Hilary1 claim · $52K
Ridgecrest 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ridgecrest
Disasters that paid out in Ridgecrest itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Ridgecrest), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Tropical Storm Hilary$345K to the City of Ridgecrest for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $52K
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides20 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
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 Ridgecrest after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ridgecrest archive →Ridgecrest and its neighbors
Ridgecrest has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgecrest | Dmore damage than 85% | earthquakes | 22 |
| Ridgecrest Heights | — | 370 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Ridgecrest 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 Ridgecrest
Is Ridgecrest at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgecrest has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #226 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (54%) and river and rain flooding (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ridgecrest flood?
Flood insurance has paid 22 claims in Ridgecrest since 1984, $191K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Hilary (1).
Is Ridgecrest 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 Ridgecrest?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ridgecrest’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 Ridgecrest?
By FEMA money that reached Ridgecrest, Tropical Storm Hilary (2023): $345K to the City of Ridgecrest for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Hilary: 1 paid, $52K.
Is Ridgecrest at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Ridgecrest’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ridgecrest.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ridgecrest’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.