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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Truckee · FEMA

FEMA puts Truckee’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Truckee gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #390 of 847 in California. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then earthquakes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 56%Earthquakes 24%Wildfire 20%

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

more than 92%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#390 of 847 in California
Hazard risk
D#390 of 847
in California · higher than 92% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2005 · $105K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 17 declared for Nevada County
By hazard

What Truckee 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

56%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

24%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Hail Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning Avalanches top 2% Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 20% of Truckee’s expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Truckee’s grade

River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Truckee, and Truckee’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 20%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Truckee sits
Truckee
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #390 of 847 in California; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Truckee’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding56%Earthquakes24%Wildfire20%

The typical California town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Truckee has less expected damage per building than 54% of California towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $24.3M a year in losses across Truckee: $18.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 7 census tracts by where Truckee’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Truckee flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Truckee, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 3 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200520172019
20052026
7
paid claims since 2005
$105K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Truckee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Nevada County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Truckee

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

  1. 2023Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides124 households applied for aid$123K aid approved
  2. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$76K to the Town of Truckee for repairs
  3. 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$218K to the Town of Truckee for repairs
  4. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides5 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$745K to the Town of Truckee for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TruckeeNevada County only

Nevada County has had 17 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Nevada County, 2009–2020.

Were you here?

Old photos of Truckee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Truckee archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Truckee 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 Truckee

Is Truckee at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Truckee has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #390 of 847 in California. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and earthquakes (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Truckee flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Truckee since 2005, $105K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Truckee 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 Nevada County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Truckee?

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

By FEMA money that reached Truckee, Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides (2005): 5 households applied for aid, $2K approved, and $745K to the Town of Truckee for repairs.

Is Truckee at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Truckee’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Truckee.

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