Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Fallon than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fallon gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #17 of 42 in Nevada. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (60%), then river and rain flooding (39%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1989.
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 Fallon 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
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 Fallon’s grade
Earthquakes are 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fallon, and Fallon’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 39% (lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #17 of 42 in Nevada; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Fallon’s residents live in 3 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, Fallon has less expected damage per building than 61% of Nevada towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.3M a year in losses across Fallon: $3.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fallon flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fallon, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Fallon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Churchill County.The storms Fallon remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Churchill County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fallon itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19891 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Churchill County has had 4 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.
Old photos of Fallon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fallon archive →Get ready for what Fallon 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.
- 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 Fallon
Is Fallon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fallon has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #17 of 42 in Nevada. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (60%) and river and rain flooding (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Fallon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Fallon since 1989, $3K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Fallon 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 Churchill County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fallon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fallon’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Fallon at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Fallon’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fallon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fallon’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.