Photo: Ken Lund from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Sparks than in 85% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sparks gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #24 of 42 in Nevada. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (49%), then river and rain flooding (46%). Flood insurance has paid 190 claims 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 stands out about Sparks’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Sparks 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 Sparks’ grade
Earthquakes are 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sparks, and Sparks’ rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #24 of 42 in Nevada; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sparks’ residents live in 32 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, Sparks has more expected damage per building than 56% of Nevada towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Sparks has higher expected damage per building than 78% (#313 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $57.4M, is the 215th largest of those 400.
Does Sparks flood? Yes: 190 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sparks, from FEMA’s records: 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sparks 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sparks
Disasters that paid out in Sparks itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sparks), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$139K to the City of Sparks for repairs19 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$705K to the City of Sparks for repairs
- 2005Snow$170K to the City of Sparks for repairs
- 2004Record And/or Near Record Snow$148K to the City of Sparks 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 Sparks after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sparks archive →Sparks and its neighbors
Sparks is 2nd of the 4 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 |
| Sparks | C−more damage than 85% | earthquakes | 190 |
| Sun Valley | C−more damage than 85% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Spanish Springs | Dmore damage than 86% | 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 Sparks 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 Sparks
Is Sparks at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sparks has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #24 of 42 in Nevada. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (49%) and river and rain flooding (46%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sparks flood?
Flood insurance has paid 190 claims in Sparks since 1979, $18.2M in all, or 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 28 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Sparks 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 Sparks?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sparks’ 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 Sparks?
By FEMA money that reached Sparks, Severe Storms and Flooding (2005): $705K to the City of Sparks for repairs.
Is Sparks at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Sparks’ rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sparks.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sparks’ 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.