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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ruhenstroth · FEMA

FEMA puts Ruhenstroth’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 96% of U.S. towns, led by wildfire

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ruhenstroth gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (45%), then river and rain flooding (42%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

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

more than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
By hazard

What Ruhenstroth faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

45%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

42%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Earthquakes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Winter storms Tornadoes Hail Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Ruhenstroth’s grade

Wildfire is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ruhenstroth, and Ruhenstroth’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 42% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Ruhenstroth sits
Ruhenstroth
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Ruhenstroth’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Wildfire45%River and rain flooding42%Earthquakes13%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Ruhenstroth: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Ruhenstroth’s 1,239 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with East Valley CDP (1,558 residents) and Fish Springs CDP (684 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Ruhenstroth flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ruhenstroth. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Ruhenstroth 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.
Disasters

The storms Ruhenstroth remembers

None of the 9 disasters declared for Douglas County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ruhenstroth itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RuhenstrothDouglas County only

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Ruhenstroth faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Ruhenstroth

Is Ruhenstroth at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ruhenstroth has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (45%) and river and rain flooding (42%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Ruhenstroth 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 Ruhenstroth?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ruhenstroth’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Ruhenstroth at risk from wildfire?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Ruhenstroth’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ruhenstroth.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ruhenstroth’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.