Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Sun Valley faces more hazard damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sun Valley gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #25 of 42 in Nevada. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (57%), then river and rain flooding (27%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2017.
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 Sun Valley 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
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 Sun Valley’s grade
Earthquakes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sun Valley, and Sun Valley’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 15%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #25 of 42 in Nevada; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sun Valley’s 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, Sun Valley has more expected damage per building than 59% of Nevada towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.3M a year in losses across Sun Valley: $3.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sun Valley flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sun Valley, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sun Valley 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.The storms Sun Valley remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Washoe County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sun Valley itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20171 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Washoe County
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 Sun Valley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sun Valley archive →Sun Valley and its neighbors
Sun Valley is 3rd of the 5 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 |
| Golden Valley | Dmore damage than 93% | wildfire | — |
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 Sun Valley 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.
- 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 Sun Valley
Is Sun Valley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sun Valley has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #25 of 42 in Nevada. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (57%) and river and rain flooding (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sun Valley flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Sun Valley since 2017, $38K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sun Valley 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 Sun Valley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sun Valley’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sun Valley at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Sun Valley’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sun Valley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sun Valley’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.