Bancroft, Hubert H., Ranchhouse · Photo: Flickr user Allan Ferguson · CC BY 2.0Spring Valley’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spring Valley gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #90 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then earthquakes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 26 claims here since 1979.
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 Spring Valley 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
Earthquakes
Wildfire
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 Spring Valley’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Spring Valley, and Spring Valley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 9%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #90 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Spring Valley’s residents live in 8 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, Spring Valley has less expected damage per building than 89% of California towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.2M a year in losses across Spring Valley: $5.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Spring Valley flood? Sometimes: 26 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Spring Valley, from FEMA’s records: 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The San Diego Flooding5 claims · $294K
- The Pineapple Express - Southern2 claims · $23K
Spring Valley 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 Diego County.The storms Spring Valley remembers
None of the 30 disasters declared for San Diego County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Spring Valley itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20245 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm and Flooding, declared for San Diego County
- 19803 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Mudslides and Flooding, declared for San Diego County
- 19833 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms, Floods, Slides and Tornadoes, declared for San Diego County
San Diego County has had 30 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 18 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in San Diego County, 2002–2018.
Old photos of Spring Valley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Spring Valley archive →Spring Valley and its neighbors
Spring Valley is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Mesa | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Lemon Grove | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Spring Valley | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Rancho San Diego | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| La Presa | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
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 Spring Valley faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Spring Valley
Is Spring Valley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spring Valley has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #90 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and earthquakes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Spring Valley flood?
Flood insurance has paid 26 claims in Spring Valley since 1979, $489K in all, or 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from San Diego Flooding (5).
Is Spring Valley 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 Diego County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Spring Valley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Spring Valley’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 Spring Valley?
By flood claims, San Diego Flooding: 5 paid, $294K.
Is Spring Valley at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Spring Valley’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Spring Valley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Spring Valley’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.