FEMA puts Gardnerville Ranchos’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 88% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gardnerville Ranchos gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #30 of 42 in Nevada. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%), then earthquakes (43%). Flood insurance has paid 69 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 Gardnerville Ranchos 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
Earthquakes
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 Gardnerville Ranchos’ grade
River and rain flooding is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gardnerville Ranchos, and Gardnerville Ranchos’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 43%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
D #30 of 42 in Nevada; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Gardnerville Ranchos’ residents live in 5 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, Gardnerville Ranchos has more expected damage per building than 71% of Nevada towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.3M a year in losses across Gardnerville Ranchos: $4.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gardnerville Ranchos flood? Sometimes: 69 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gardnerville Ranchos, from FEMA’s records: 13.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Gardnerville Ranchos isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Douglas County.The storms Gardnerville Ranchos remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Douglas County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Gardnerville Ranchos itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199765 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19962 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Landslides, declared for Douglas County
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Douglas County has had 9 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 13 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Douglas County, 2002–2025.
Old photos of Gardnerville Ranchos after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gardnerville Ranchos archive →Gardnerville Ranchos and its neighbors
Gardnerville Ranchos has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardnerville Ranchos | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 69 |
| Gardnerville | Dmore damage than 93% | earthquakes | 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 Gardnerville Ranchos faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Gardnerville Ranchos
Is Gardnerville Ranchos at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gardnerville Ranchos has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #30 of 42 in Nevada. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%) and earthquakes (43%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Gardnerville Ranchos flood?
Flood insurance has paid 69 claims in Gardnerville Ranchos since 1982, $2.1M in all, or 13.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Gardnerville Ranchos 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 Douglas County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Gardnerville Ranchos?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gardnerville Ranchos’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Gardnerville Ranchos at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Gardnerville Ranchos’ rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gardnerville Ranchos.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gardnerville Ranchos’ 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.