Kern County flood history
California · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 280 flood insurance claims in Kern County, California since 1978. The NFIP paid $1.5 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 1998, with 76, mostly from Pineapple Express - Southern.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 63 claims, and the average paid claim was $26,753.
36% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 1.1% of homes in Kern County, California had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (2,955 of 259,635 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 20% (2,527 of 12,851).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 7 flood-related disaster declarations covering Kern County, California. The most recent was DR-4750-CA (Tropical Storm Hilary), declared November 21, 2023.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | $23,203 |
| 2024 | 5 | $10,494 |
| 2023 | 22 | $152,457 |
| 2022 | 1 | $48,511 |
| 2021 | 2 | $0 |
| 2020 | 6 | $45,866 |
| 2019 | 8 | $64,831 |
| 2018 | 2 | $0 |
| 2017 | 14 | $136,187 |
| 2016 | 6 | $0 |
| 2015 | 2 | $82,905 |
| 2014 | 2 | $1,083 |
| 2013 | 1 | $0 |
| 2012 | 1 | $0 |
| 2011 | 2 | $0 |
| 2010 | 10 | $19,259 |
| 2009 | 2 | $0 |
| 2008 | 1 | $0 |
| 2007 | 1 | $0 |
| 2006 | 2 | $5,320 |
| 2005 | 12 | $147,274 |
| 2004 | 3 | $6,890 |
| 2003 | 2 | $0 |
| 2002 | 2 | $4,514 |
| 2001 | 2 | $1,030 |
| 2000 | 1 | $0 |
| 1999 | 3 | $5,817 |
| 1998 | 76 | $391,931 |
| 1997 | 6 | $66,276 |
| 1996 | 1 | $0 |
| 1995 | 7 | $12,603 |
| 1994 | 1 | $0 |
| 1993 | 3 | $452 |
| 1992 | 4 | $4,553 |
| 1991 | 1 | $0 |
| 1989 | 1 | $495 |
| 1988 | 2 | $1,978 |
| 1984 | 28 | $137,012 |
| 1983 | 24 | $121,401 |
| 1982 | 3 | $18,935 |
| 1980 | 3 | $1,188 |
| 1979 | 1 | $0 |
| 1978 | 1 | $3,009 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pineapple Express - Southern | 1998 | 65 | $354,250 |
| Flooding | 1983 | 21 | $119,167 |
| Tropical Storm Hilary | 2023 | 4 | $82,811 |
| California Atmospheric River | 2023 | 15 | $69,646 |
| February California Atmospheric River | 2024 | 3 | $10,494 |
| Flooding | 1992 | 3 | $4,553 |
| Flooding | 1995 | 4 | $2,809 |
| Flooding | 1980 | 1 | $0 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 2,955 residential NFIP policies in Kern County, against 259,635 residential buildings (1.1%). Of the 12,851 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 2,527 have an NFIP policy (20%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.
Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4750-CA | Nov 21, 2023 | Tropical Storm Hilary | No |
| DR-4699-CA | Apr 3, 2023 | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| EM-3592-CA | Mar 10, 2023 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4305-CA | Mar 16, 2017 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-1952-CA | Jan 26, 2011 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Debris and Mud Flows | No |
| DR-1585-CA | Apr 14, 2005 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud and Debris Flows | No |
| DR-1577-CA | Feb 4, 2005 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Debris Flows, and Mudslides | Yes |
Check your own address
County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of California.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.