Photo: Soundsfancy · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Cold Springs than in 91% of U.S. towns, led by wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cold Springs gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #36 of 42 in Nevada. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (42%), then river and rain flooding (38%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Cold Springs faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
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 Cold Springs’ grade
Wildfire is 42% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cold Springs, and Cold Springs’ rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 38% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).
D #36 of 42 in Nevada; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cold Springs’ residents live in 2 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, Cold Springs has more expected damage per building than 85% of Nevada towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.5M a year in losses across Cold Springs: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cold Springs flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cold Springs, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Cold Springs isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Washoe County.The storms Cold Springs remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Washoe County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cold Springs itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Washoe County has had 9 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 42 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Washoe County, 1999–2026.
Old photos of Cold Springs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cold Springs archive →Cold Springs and its neighbors
Cold Springs is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reno | C−more damage than 80% | earthquakes | 183 |
| Cold Springs | Dmore damage than 91% | wildfire | 1 |
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 Cold Springs faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Cold Springs
Is Cold Springs at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cold Springs has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #36 of 42 in Nevada. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (42%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cold Springs flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Cold Springs since 1979, $318 in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Cold Springs 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 Washoe County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cold Springs?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cold Springs’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Cold Springs at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (42%), and Cold Springs’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cold Springs.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cold Springs’ 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.