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Wrightwood-cabinsPhoto: Jamesb01 (image transferred to Commons by JaumeBG. · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Wrightwood · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Wrightwood, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wrightwood gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #833 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (43%), then earthquakes (29%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 2001.

River and rain flooding 43%Earthquakes 29%Wildfire 28%

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#833 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D−#833 of 847
in California · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
43% of expected building damage
Flood claims
16
paid since 2001 · $329K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 34 declared for San Bernardino County
By hazard

What Wrightwood 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

43%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 13 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

29%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

28%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Landslides top 2% Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves top 4% Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Wrightwood’s grade

River and rain flooding is 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wrightwood, and Wrightwood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 29%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Wrightwood sits
Wrightwood
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #833 of 847 in California; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Wrightwood’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding43%Earthquakes29%Wildfire28%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Wrightwood has more expected damage per building than 98% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.7M a year in losses across Wrightwood: $5.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Wrightwood’s 4,720 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Wrightwood flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 2001

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wrightwood, from FEMA’s records: 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2001: 1 claim2002: 1 claim2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 3 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 2 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 4 claims2026: 0 claims200720152025
20012026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Hilary1 claim · $16K
  • The California Atmospheric River1 claim · $417
16
paid claims since 2001
$329K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$21K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Wrightwood 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.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wrightwood

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

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides65 households applied for aid$37K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WrightwoodSan 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 Wrightwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Wrightwood archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Wrightwood faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
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 Wrightwood

Is Wrightwood at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wrightwood has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #833 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (43%) and earthquakes (29%). 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 Wrightwood flood?

Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Wrightwood since 2001, $329K in all, or 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Hilary (1).

Is Wrightwood 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 Wrightwood?

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

By FEMA money that reached Wrightwood, Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 65 households applied for aid, $37K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Hilary: 1 paid, $16K.

Is Wrightwood at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and Wrightwood’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wrightwood.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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