Storms, floods and disasters in Valley Falls
Valley Falls isn’t graded for hazard risk: Valley Falls is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1979.
What Valley Falls 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
Hurricanes
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.
Does Valley Falls flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Valley Falls, from FEMA’s records.
- The March 2010 nor’easter3 claims · $109K
Valley Falls isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Providence County.The storms Valley Falls remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Providence County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Valley Falls itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19825 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20104 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Providence County
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Providence County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Valley Falls after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Valley Falls archive →Valley Falls and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attleboro | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 58 |
| Lincoln | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 50 |
| Cumberland | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Central Falls | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
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 Valley Falls 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Valley Falls
Does Valley Falls flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Valley Falls since 1979, $458K in all. The most claims came from March 2010 Nor'easter (3).
Is Valley Falls 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 Providence County, 58% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Valley Falls?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Valley Falls’ 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 Valley Falls?
By flood claims, March 2010 Nor'easter: 3 paid, $109K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Valley Falls.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Valley Falls’ 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.