Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Carson City than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carson City gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #29 of 42 in Nevada. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (63%), then river and rain flooding (26%). Flood insurance has paid 46 claims here since 1982.
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 Carson City faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Carson City’s grade
Earthquakes are 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carson City, and Carson City’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 11%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #29 of 42 in Nevada; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Carson City’s residents live in 14 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Nevada town has higher expected damage than 81% of U.S. towns; within the state, Carson City has more expected damage per building than 68% of Nevada towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $41.1M a year in losses across Carson City: $26.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Carson City flood? Sometimes: 46 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Carson City, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Carson City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: the county.The storms Carson City remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Carson City itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199716 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19866 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for
- 20055 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for
has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in , 2003–2006.
Old photos of Carson City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Carson City archive →Carson City and its neighbors
Carson City is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Hills | Dmore damage than 85% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Carson City | Dmore damage than 88% | earthquakes | 46 |
| Johnson Lane | Dmore damage than 90% | earthquakes | — |
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 Carson City faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Carson City
Is Carson City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carson City has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #29 of 42 in Nevada. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (63%) and river and rain flooding (26%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Carson City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 46 claims in Carson City since 1982, $547K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Carson City 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 the county, 1.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Carson City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Carson City’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Carson City at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Carson City’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carson City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Carson City’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.