Natural hazards · South Valley

South Valley, NM natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in South Valley comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1988.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is South Valley?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in South Valley to be higher than in 55% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding59%Earthquakes29%Everything else11%

By hazard

What South Valley faces

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

Inland flooding

59% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

29% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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

Flood insurance claims

Does South Valley flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in South Valley, from FEMA’s records.

13paid claims since 1988

$69Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19882026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. South 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: Bernalillo County.

Disasters that hit South Valley

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Bernalillo County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Valley itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into South ValleyDeclared for Bernalillo County only

Bernalillo County has had 8 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and severe storms.

Around South Valley

South Valley and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

South Valleymostly inland floodingModerate

Albuquerquemostly inland floodingLow

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. South Valley covers 10 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to South Valley’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to South Valley. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across South Valley total about $9.2M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.