Photo: Kazimierz Mendlik · CC BY-SA 3.0In Vallauris, 100% of residents live on shrink-swell clay
The ground under Vallauris can release radon; a test is the only way to know a home’s level. Hazard risk is not graded in France: there is no national flood map, so a town outside the mapped areas can’t be called safe from floods.
What stands out about hazards in Vallauris
From the state’s records on Géorisques. Nothing here is graded.
6 hazards in Vallauris at a glance
Bars show where the town sits among French towns of 2,500+; they are not a grade. Disaster declarations are shown, not compared.
Flood zones
Disasters declared
Clay ground
Earthquakes
Radon
Industrial sites
Why hazards aren’t graded in France
In the UK, the Hazard risk grade is the share of homes in a mapped flood zone; in the U.S., it is FEMA’s modelled yearly damage to buildings. Both rest on maps that cover the whole country. France maps flood zones in detail only in its 125 areas at highest risk (TRI), so most towns have no figure, and a blank would read as “dry”. The state’s disaster declarations don’t fill the gap: they depend on the mayor applying, and they don’t line up with the mapped zones. So Vallauris has no Hazard grade, and its overall grade uses the other six subjects.
Everything on this page is shown as published. We’ll grade it when France publishes a national flood map.
Flood zones in Vallauris on the map
The state’s own layers from Géorisques, drawn over the street map. Tap a layer to switch it on or off.
Flood zones are drawn only inside the state’s mapped areas (TRI, pink outline). Outside them, the map is blank because nobody has drawn it, not because the ground is dry.
1.2% of Vallauris’ residents live in a mapped flood zone
Residents in the state’s medium-probability flood zones, by where the water comes from. Mapped areas only.
Share of residents in a medium-probability flood zone. Vallauris has more than 43% of mapped towns. The other 2,833 towns of 2,500+ have no detailed map.
| # | Town | People | In a flood zone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyon 1er Rhône | 28,717 | 0% | |
| 2 | Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle | 29,942 | 0% | |
| 3 | Liévin Pas-de-Calais | 30,063 | 0% | |
| … | ||||
| 16 | Herblay-sur-Seine Val-d'Oise | 31,779 | 1% | |
| 17 | Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire Loire-Atlantique | 28,596 | 1.1% | |
| 18 | Vallauris Alpes-Maritimes | 29,259 | 1.2% | |
| 19 | Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray Seine-Maritime | 29,518 | 1.3% | |
| 20 | Illkirch-Graffenstaden Bas-Rhin | 27,872 | 1.5% | |
| … | ||||
| 40 | Viry-Châtillon Essonne | 30,838 | 39% | |
| 41 | Vigneux-sur-Seine Essonne | 31,466 | 40% | |
Mapped area: Nice Cannes Mandelieu (flood directive maps, 2nd cycle, 2020). Medium probability is roughly the 1-in-100-year flood. Residents placed by INSEE’s 200 m income grid (2021).
36 natural disasters declared in Vallauris since 1982, 27 for floods
The state’s register of natural-disaster orders, 1982 to January 2026.
- 2024Floods and mudflowsSeptember 22, 2024 · order published December 20, 2024
- 2022Drought: clay subsidenceApril 1, 2022 – September 30, 2022 · order published May 3, 2023
- 2019Floods and mudflows · Ground movementDecember 1–2, 2019 · order published December 19, 2019
- 2019Wave impact on the coast · Floods and mudflowsNovember 23–24, 2019 · order published January 29, 2020
- 2019Ground movementNovember 22–24, 2019 · order published June 12, 2020
- 2015Floods and mudflows · Ground movementOctober 3, 2015 · order published October 8, 2015
Show all 33 events
- 2014Ground movementNovember 27–28, 2014 · order published October 29, 2015
- 2014Floods and mudflowsNovember 9–11, 2014 · order published February 19, 2015
- 2014Floods and mudflowsNovember 4–5, 2014 · order published January 6, 2015
- 2012Floods and mudflowsOctober 26, 2012 · order published January 13, 2013
- 2011Wave impact on the coastNovember 8, 2011 · order published January 3, 2012
- 2011Floods and mudflowsNovember 4–6, 2011 · order published November 19, 2011
- 2010Floods and mudflowsOctober 31, 2010 – November 1, 2010 · order published April 2, 2011
- 2010Wave impact on the coastMay 4, 2010 · order published June 26, 2010
- 2010Wave impact on the coastJanuary 1–2, 2010 · order published May 13, 2010
- 2009Floods and mudflowsSeptember 18, 2009 · order published November 14, 2009
- 2009Floods and mudflowsSeptember 15, 2009 · order published November 14, 2009
- 2008Ground movementDecember 1–31, 2008 · order published July 23, 2009
- 2007Drought: clay subsidenceJuly 1, 2007 – September 30, 2007 · order published August 13, 2008
- 2005Floods and mudflowsSeptember 8–9, 2005 · order published December 30, 2005
- 2004Floods and mudflowsAugust 5, 2004 · order published January 15, 2005
- 2003Wave impact on the coastOctober 31, 2003 – November 1, 2003 · order published May 23, 2004
- 2003Drought: clay subsidenceJuly 1, 2003 – September 30, 2003 · order published May 31, 2005
- 2000Wave impact on the coastNovember 6–7, 2000 · order published September 26, 2001
- 2000Floods and mudflowsNovember 5–6, 2000 · order published December 29, 2000
- 1999Floods and mudflowsOctober 23–24, 1999 · order published March 19, 2000
- 1996Floods and mudflowsDecember 24–25, 1996 · order published April 12, 1997
- 1996Floods and mudflowsJanuary 11–12, 1996 · order published February 14, 1996
- 1993Floods and mudflowsOctober 5–10, 1993 · order published October 24, 1993
- 1992Wave impact on the coastDecember 5, 1992 · order published March 28, 1993
- 1987Floods and mudflowsOctober 10–11, 1987 · order published January 16, 1988
- 1987Floods and mudflowsOctober 4–5, 1987 · order published January 16, 1988
- 1982StormNovember 6–10, 1982 · order published December 22, 1982
Declarations by hazard · 1982–2025
Each line is a state order recognizing a natural disaster in the commune (“CatNat”), which lets insured owners claim. The latest flood began September 22, 2024; 23 flood declarations since 1995.
This count partly reflects how often a mayor applies for a declaration, so it isn’t compared between towns. It is a record of recognized claims, not a flood map. Source: GASPAR, Géorisques, file of 5 October 2026 (orders published to January 2026).
The state lists 8 hazards for Vallauris
Risk plans in force or in preparation, and the prefecture’s list of major risks.
| Hazard | Risk plan (PPR) | Listed by the prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| River flooding and runoff | Approved 2022 | ✓ |
| Coastal flooding | — | ✓ |
| Landslides and rockfalls | — | ✓ |
| Clay shrink-swell | — | ✓ |
| Earthquake | — | ✓ |
| Forest fire | Approved 2012 | ✓ |
| Radon | — | ✓ |
| Dangerous goods in transit | — | ✓ |
A risk plan (plan de prévention des risques, PPR) is the state’s map of where building is banned or restricted because of a hazard; it is attached to the town’s planning rules, and a seller or landlord must tell you if the home is in one. The prefecture’s file of major risks (DDRM) lists the hazards it expects in each commune.
Plans: PPRN-I - BV Issourdadoux [ Vallauris ] 2022
Earthquake zone 3 (moderate); 100% of residents on shrink-swell clay
What the ground under Vallauris does: national maps, the same for every town.
Residents on shrink-swell clay · share of residents
Clay ground swells when wet and shrinks in drought, which cracks walls of houses on shallow foundations. Since 2020, a soil study is required before selling a building plot in a medium or high zone. 3 drought (clay) declarations here since 1982.
Vallauris is in zone 3 (moderate). New buildings must follow the earthquake building code (Eurocode 8) for their type. The zone sets building rules; it isn’t a forecast.
Clay: BRGM shrink-swell exposure map 2025, residents placed by INSEE’s 200 m grid. Earthquakes: national seismic zoning, decree of 22 October 2010.
Radon potential in Vallauris: category 3 of 3 (significant)
Radon is a natural radioactive gas from granite and volcanic rock; it builds up indoors.
Vallauris is in category 3: parts of the ground can release significant radon. Since 2018, sellers and landlords here must mention it, and testing a home over two winter months is advised.
The category describes the rocks under the commune, not any home: a test is the only way to know.
Source: radon potential by commune, IRSN (now ASNR), 2019.
No industrial risk plan reaches Vallauris
Hazardous sites whose danger zone reaches the town, and the technological risks the prefecture lists.
| Dangerous goods in transit | road, rail, pipeline or waterway through the town |
Seveso sites store or use large amounts of dangerous substances; upper-tier sites have a risk plan around them. Distances are from the town’s center.
Sources: GASPAR (PPRT, DDRM), Géorisques, 5 October 2026; Seveso sites from Géorisques’ register of classified installations.
Hazards in Vallauris’ neighbors
Towns of 2,500+ within 30 km. Tap one to open its hazards page.
* Share of residents in a mapped medium-probability flood zone; a dash means no detailed map, not no risk. Radon: category 1 to 3.
Being ready in Vallauris
Where France publishes warnings, and what to ask before you buy or rent.
- Météo-France’s vigilance map gives the day’s warnings by département, from yellow to red.
- Vigicrues shows river levels and flood warnings for the main rivers, updated twice a day.
- FR-Alert sends emergency alerts to every phone in the area; no sign-up needed.
- The seller or landlord must give you a risk statement (état des risques) for the address, listing the plans it is in.
- They must also tell you about any natural-disaster claim paid on the home.
- Géorisques gives the same statement for any address, free.
- Test over at least two months between September and April.
- Above 300 Bq/m³, air the home and seal the floor.
- Ask for the risk statement and read which plans the address is in.
- Ask the town hall for its risk booklet (DICRIM) and safety plan (PCS).
- For a house, look for cracks and ask about the foundations: much of the town is on shrink-swell clay.
- Check that home insurance includes natural-disaster cover (it comes with fire cover).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Not graded. France has no national flood map, so we don’t grade hazard risk. Comparisons on this page are with other French towns of 2,500+, shown for context.
- Mapped areas only. Flood shares exist only where the state has mapped flooding in detail (the TRI areas). A town without a figure has no map, not no risk.
- Disaster declarations. A CatNat order recognizes a disaster so that insurers pay; it follows the commune’s application. The count partly reflects how often a mayor applies, so we show it but don’t compare towns on it.
- Plans. A risk plan maps where building is limited; it doesn’t say any one home will flood.
- Clay, earthquakes, radon. National maps of the ground: they describe susceptibility and set building rules, not damage or forecasts.
Questions about hazards in Vallauris
Does Vallauris flood?
The state has declared 27 flood disasters in Vallauris since 1982, the last starting September 22, 2024. On the state’s detailed map, 1.2% of residents live in a medium-probability flood zone. A flood risk plan is in force.
Is Vallauris at risk of earthquakes?
Vallauris is in seismic zone 3 of 5 (moderate). The zone sets building rules for new construction; it isn’t a forecast.
Is there radon in Vallauris?
Radon potential is category 3 of 3 (significant). It describes the ground under the commune; only a test tells you a home’s level.
Are there dangerous industrial sites near Vallauris?
No industrial risk plan reaches Vallauris, and no Seveso site lies within 5 km.
Why doesn’t Vallauris have a Hazard grade?
France maps flood zones in detail only in its areas at highest risk, so most towns would have no figure, and a blank would look like no risk. We show the data instead, and will grade it if France publishes a national flood map.
Sources: Géorisques (Ministry of Ecological Transition), GASPAR file of 5 October 2026: CatNat orders, risk plans (PPRN, PPRT, PPRM), flood atlases, DDRM, DICRIM · flood directive maps, 2020 (TRI 2nd cycle) and 2024 outlines · BRGM clay shrink-swell map 2025 · seismic zoning, decree of 22 October 2010 · ASNR (formerly IRSN) radon potential 2019 · INSEE 200 m income grid 2021 (where residents live) · map: Géorisques layers over © OpenStreetMap contributors · Seveso sites: Géorisques register of classified installations. Licence Ouverte / Open Licence (Etalab). Not graded.
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.