Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Taft faces more hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Taft gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #344 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (76%), then river and rain flooding (22%). 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 Taft 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 Taft’s grade
Earthquakes are 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Taft, and Taft’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 22% (lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts).
D #344 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Taft’s residents live in 5 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, Taft has less expected damage per building than 59% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.0M a year in losses across Taft: $5.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Taft flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Taft. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Taft 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 Taft
Disasters that paid out in Taft itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Taft), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides10 households applied for aid$600 aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$2K 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 Taft after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Taft archive →Taft and its neighbors
Taft 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Taft | Dmore damage than 89% | earthquakes | — |
| Taft Heights | Dmore damage than 89% | earthquakes | — |
| Taft | Dmore damage than 90% | earthquakes | 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 Taft 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 Taft
Is Taft at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Taft has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #344 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (76%) and river and rain flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Taft 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 Taft?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Taft’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 Taft?
By FEMA money that reached Taft, Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides (2004): 1 households applied for aid, $2K approved.
Is Taft at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Taft’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Taft.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Taft’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.