On FEMA’s figures, Rosedale faces more hazard damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rosedale gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #140 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then earthquakes (36%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2020.
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 Rosedale 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
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 Rosedale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rosedale, and Rosedale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 36% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #140 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rosedale’s residents live in 10 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, Rosedale has less expected damage per building than 84% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.5M a year in losses across Rosedale: $7.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rosedale flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2020
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rosedale, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Rosedale 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.The storms Rosedale remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Kern County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Rosedale itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20201 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Rosedale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rosedale archive →Rosedale and its neighbors
Rosedale is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenacres | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bakersfield | Cmore damage than 71% | earthquakes | 15 |
| Rosedale | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Rosedale 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.
- 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 Rosedale
Is Rosedale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rosedale has higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #140 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and earthquakes (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Rosedale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Rosedale since 2020, $44K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Rosedale 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 Rosedale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rosedale’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Rosedale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Rosedale’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rosedale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rosedale’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.