Photo: Trevor Bexon · CC BY 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Reno than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Reno gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #20 of 42 in Nevada. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (59%), then river and rain flooding (37%). Flood insurance has paid 183 claims here since 1980.
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 stands out about Reno’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Reno 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 Reno’s grade
Earthquakes are 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Reno, and Reno’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #20 of 42 in Nevada; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Reno’s residents live in 91 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, Reno has less expected damage per building than 54% of Nevada towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Reno has higher expected damage per building than 74% (#295 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $153M, is the 63th largest of those 400.
Does Reno flood? Yes: 183 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Reno, from FEMA’s records: 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Reno 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Reno
Disasters that paid out in Reno itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Reno), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$365K to the City of Reno for repairs
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$1.9M to the City of Reno for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$1.3M to the City of Reno for repairs
- 2005Snow$552K to the City of Reno for repairs
- 2004Record And/or Near Record Snow$220K to the City of Reno for repairs
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 Reno after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Reno archive →Reno and its neighbors
Reno is 2nd of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mogul | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Reno | C−more damage than 80% | earthquakes | 183 |
| Sparks | C−more damage than 85% | earthquakes | 190 |
| Sun Valley | C−more damage than 85% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Cold Springs | Dmore damage than 91% | wildfire | 1 |
| Verdi | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Golden Valley | Dmore damage than 93% | wildfire | — |
| Lemmon Valley | Dmore damage than 94% | wildfire | 33 |
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 Reno 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 Reno
Is Reno at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Reno has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #20 of 42 in Nevada. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (59%) and river and rain flooding (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Reno flood?
Flood insurance has paid 183 claims in Reno since 1980, $7.8M in all, or 1.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 69% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 12 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Reno 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 Reno?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Reno’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Reno?
By FEMA money that reached Reno, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2017): $1.9M to the City of Reno for repairs.
Is Reno at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Reno’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Reno.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Reno’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.