Natural hazards · Sun Valley

Sun Valley, NV natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sun Valley comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2017.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Sun Valley?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sun Valley to be higher than in 79% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes65%Inland flooding19%Wildfire11%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Sun Valley faces

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

Earthquakes

65% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

19% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesLandslidesStrong windLightningVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesCold wavesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Sun Valley flood?

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

1paid claims since 2017

$38Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20172026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. 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.

Disasters that hit Sun Valley

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Sun ValleyDeclared for Washoe County only

Washoe County has had 47 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and severe storms.

Around Sun Valley

Sun Valley and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Golden Valleymostly wildfiresVery high

Spanish Springsmostly wildfiresVery high

Sun Valleymostly earthquakesHigh

Sparksmostly earthquakesHigh

Renomostly earthquakesHigh

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. Sun Valley covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Sun Valley’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Sun 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 Sun Valley total about $4.6M 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.