County Plan Identifies Region’s Highest Disaster Risks

As another Nevada summer brings triple-digit temperatures and heightened wildfire concerns, a newly adopted hazard mitigation plan offers Churchill County's most comprehensive look at the natural and human-caused disasters that could threaten the community and how local governments hope to lessen their impact.

The Churchill County Commission adopted the updated Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan during its June 17 meeting. Developed by Churchill County, the City of Fallon and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, the plan identifies hazards that could affect the region, evaluates community vulnerability and establishes priorities intended to reduce future disaster losses while maintaining eligibility for federal mitigation funding.

While wildfire often dominates public attention during the summer, the plan evaluates a much broader range of hazards. Planning committee members assessed 18 natural- and human-caused threats. For Churchill County, drought, earthquakes, flooding, hazardous materials incidents and terrorism received the highest risk rankings, while wildfire was classified as a medium-risk hazard alongside extreme heat, hail and thunderstorms, severe winter weather, windstorms and infestations.

The plan emphasizes reducing damage before disasters occur rather than focusing solely on emergency response. It recommends incorporating hazard planning into future land-use decisions, maintaining updated emergency plans, improving mapping and continuing projects designed to protect people, property and critical infrastructure.

In addition to evaluating hazards, the document inventories critical facilities throughout Churchill County, including government buildings, schools, transportation infrastructure and utilities that could be affected during future disasters. It also incorporates existing planning efforts, including the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, Emergency Operations Plan and participation in the National Flood Insurance Program.

The report notes that Churchill County's geography presents unique planning challenges. Approximately 85 percent of the county is publicly managed land, while about 13 percent is privately owned. The county's reliance on the Carson River and the Newlands Project irrigation system also makes water infrastructure and flood planning continuing priorities.

The updated plan was developed during 2023 and 2024 by representatives from Churchill County, the City of Fallon, the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe and the Local Emergency Planning Committee with assistance from engineering consultant DOWL. Federal regulations require participating jurisdictions to update hazard mitigation plans every five years to remain eligible for FEMA hazard mitigation grant programs.

Sidebar: Churchill County Hazard Rankings

High risk

• Drought
• Earthquake
• Flood
• Hazardous materials incidents
• Terrorism

Medium risk

• Wildfire
• Extreme heat
• Hail and thunderstorms
• Severe winter weather
• Windstorms
• Infestations

Low risk

• Epidemic
• Landslides
• Expansive soils
• Ground failure
• Tsunami/seiche
• Volcano
• Tornado

Source: Churchill County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan