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SanBernardinoStationStreetside (cropped)Photo: User:Oakshade · CC BY 2.5
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in San Bernardino · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in San Bernardino than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Bernardino gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #782 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (56%), then river and rain flooding (40%). Flood insurance has paid 87 claims here since 1980.

Earthquakes 56%River and rain flooding 40%Wildfire 4%

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#782 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#782 of 847
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
87
paid since 1980 · $992K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 34 declared for San Bernardino County

What stands out about San Bernardino’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Landslides: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 0.4% of the damage it expects.FEMA-funded flood-proofing1 building floodproofed with FEMA grants.Remembers 198046 flood claims were paid for 1980 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What San Bernardino faces

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

Earthquakes

56%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

40%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 13 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire top 5% Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 1%
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 earthquakes at 66% of San Bernardino’s expected losses. Earthquakes do little damage to buildings (55.5%), 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind San Bernardino’s grade

Earthquakes are 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in San Bernardino, and San Bernardino’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 40%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where San Bernardino sits
San Bernardino
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #782 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

San Bernardino’s residents live in 66 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes56%River and rain flooding40%Wildfire4%Everything else1%

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

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, San Bernardino has higher expected damage per building than 100% (#400 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $246M, is the 30th largest of those 400.

A firm figure. It combines 66 census tracts by where San Bernardino’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does San Bernardino flood? Sometimes: 87 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in San Bernardino, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 46 claims1981: 6 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 7 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 2 claims1993: 2 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 2 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 4 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 4 claims2006: 6 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198019811983
19802026
Biggest named events
  • The Pineapple Express - Southern4 claims · $42K
  • The February California Atmospheric River1 claim · $12K
87
paid claims since 1980
$992K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

San Bernardino 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1building floodproofed
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to San Bernardino

Disasters that paid out in San Bernardino itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of San Bernardino), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides148 households applied for aid$139K aid approved
  2. 2010Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows$172K to the City of San Bernardino for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2007Wildfires, Flooding, Mud Flows, and Debris Flows349 households applied for aid$45K aid approved$254K to the City of San Bernardino for repairs
  4. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud and Debris Flows$8K to the City of San Bernardino for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides215 households applied for aid$145K aid approved$877K to the City of San Bernardino for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2003Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T3,211 households applied for aid$3.5M aid approved$1.0M to the City of San Bernardino for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in San BernardinoSan 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 San Bernardino after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the San Bernardino archive →
Next door

San Bernardino and its neighbors

San Bernardino is 5th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Highland: hazard risk D−Colton: hazard risk D−Muscoy: hazard risk D−Rialto: hazard risk D−Loma Linda: hazard risk D−Redlands: hazard risk D−HighlandColtonMuscoyRialtoLoma LindaRedlandsSan Bernardino
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RedlandsD−more damage than 97%earthquakes2
RialtoD−more damage than 97%earthquakes6
MuscoyD−more damage than 98%earthquakes1
ColtonD−among the highest damageearthquakes8
San BernardinoD−among the highest damageearthquakes87
Loma LindaD−among the highest damageearthquakes7
HighlandD−among the highest damageriver and rain flooding8

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what San Bernardino faces

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

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 San Bernardino

Is San Bernardino at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Bernardino has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #782 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (56%) and river and rain flooding (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does San Bernardino flood?

Flood insurance has paid 87 claims in San Bernardino since 1980, $992K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (4).

Is San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for San Bernardino’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 San Bernardino?

By FEMA money that reached San Bernardino, Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow and Debris Flow Directly Related T (2003): 3,211 households applied for aid, $3.5M approved, and $1.0M to the City of San Bernardino for repairs. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 4 paid, $42K.

Is San Bernardino at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and San Bernardino’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in San Bernardino.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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