Photo: SunsetValley · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Sunset Valley
Sunset Valley isn’t graded for hazard risk: Sunset Valley has 814 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1991.
What Sunset Valley 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
Hail
Tornadoes
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 Sunset Valley flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sunset Valley, from FEMA’s records.
Sunset Valley is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Travis County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Sunset Valley
Disasters that paid out in Sunset Valley itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sunset Valley), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 1998Tx-flooding 10/18/98$2K to the City of Sunset Valley for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Travis County has had 26 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 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Travis County, 2006–2011.
Old photos of Sunset Valley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sunset Valley archive →Get ready for what Sunset 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.
- 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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.
- Sunset Valley residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Sunset Valley
Does Sunset Valley flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Sunset Valley since 1991, $376K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Sunset 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 Travis County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sunset Valley?
Sunset Valley is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Sunset Valley?
By FEMA money that reached Sunset Valley, Tx-flooding 10/18/98 (1998): $2K to the City of Sunset Valley for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sunset Valley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sunset 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.