Photo: Taken by Antandrus · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Summerland, led by wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Summerland gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (27%), then earthquakes (26%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Summerland faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
Earthquakes
Landslides
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 Summerland’s grade
Wildfire is 27% of the building damage FEMA expects in Summerland, and Summerland’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 26%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Summerland’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.0M a year in losses across Summerland: $3.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Summerland flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Summerland. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Summerland isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Santa Barbara County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Summerland
Disasters that paid out in Summerland itself (aid to households or repair grants to Summerland), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides9 households applied for aid$64K aid approved
- 2017Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflows, and Debris Flows25 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides15 households applied for aid$26K aid approved
Santa Barbara County has had 32 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 8 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Santa Barbara County, 2004–2021.
Old photos of Summerland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Summerland archive →Summerland and its neighbors
Summerland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montecito | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 56 |
| Toro Canyon | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | — |
| Summerland | D−among the highest damage | wildfire | 0 |
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 Summerland faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Watch for new cracks, tilting trees or suddenly muddy streams after heavy rain.
- Stay off steep slopes in a downpour.
- Leave if you hear rumbling upslope.
- 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 Summerland
Is Summerland at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Summerland has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (27%) and earthquakes (26%). 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 Summerland 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 Santa Barbara County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Summerland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Summerland’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 Summerland?
By FEMA money that reached Summerland, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2022): 9 households applied for aid, $64K approved.
Is Summerland at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (27%), and Summerland’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Summerland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Summerland’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.