11 flood insurance claims·$14,318 paid·3 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Rio Grande County, Colorado. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 1 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2019, with 3 claims and $10,287 paid.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
9 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| West Fork Fire Complex | Jun 21, 2013 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Million Fire | Jun 19, 2002 |
| Wildfires | Apr 23, 2002 |
| Drought | Jan 29, 1977 |
| Flooding & Landslides | Jul 6, 1973 |
| Heavy Rains & Flooding | Sep 22, 1970 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
5 since 1996: 2 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2003 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 23, 2003 | — |
| Flood | Apr 30, 1999 | $25,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 1999 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 30, 1999. Rainfall amounts of 6 to 13 inches from Wednesday night to Friday night caused fast rushing water and major flooding from the Fountain Creek watershed to the Arkansas River east of Pueblo. Heavy rain in the mountains and adjacent plains upstream from Pueblo on the Arkansas River caused flooding in Custer, Fremont and Pueblo counties as well. In Pueblo county, damage was done to roads, irrigation systems and bri…
Flood · May 1, 1999. The most significant river flooding along the Arkansas River since at least 1965 was caused by widespread and persistent rainfall...especially along the eastern slopes of the southeast mountains. The heaviest rainfall occurred from late in the day on the 28th of April and persisted into the afternoon hours of April 30th. Widespread rainfall totals in excess of 8 inches was noted in 40 hours with some locations r…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Rio Grande County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.