Weedpatch Camp · Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Weedpatch than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Weedpatch gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #286 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (61%), then river and rain flooding (39%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1995.
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 Weedpatch 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 Weedpatch’s grade
Earthquakes are 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Weedpatch, and Weedpatch’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 39% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).
D #286 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Weedpatch’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Weedpatch has less expected damage per building than 66% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $849K a year in losses across Weedpatch: $504K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Weedpatch flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Weedpatch, from FEMA’s records: 7.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Pineapple Express - Southern5 claims · $12K
Weedpatch 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 Weedpatch remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Kern County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Weedpatch itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19986 flood claims paidThe year of Ca-citrus Crop Damage 2/2/99, declared for Kern County
- 19951 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding Landslides, Mud Flow, declared for Kern County
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 Weedpatch after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Weedpatch archive →Weedpatch and its neighbors
Weedpatch is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamont | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Weedpatch | Dmore damage than 88% | earthquakes | 7 |
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 Weedpatch 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 Weedpatch
Is Weedpatch at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Weedpatch has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #286 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (61%) and river and rain flooding (39%). 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.
Does Weedpatch flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Weedpatch since 1995, $15K in all, or 7.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (5).
Is Weedpatch 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 Weedpatch?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Weedpatch’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 Weedpatch?
By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 5 paid, $12K.
Is Weedpatch at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Weedpatch’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Weedpatch.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Weedpatch’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.