1 flood insurance claims·$1,144 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 San Juan 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.
6 federal disaster declarations since 1970, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Wildfires | Apr 23, 2002 |
| Flooding & Landslides | Jul 6, 1973 |
| Heavy Rains & Flooding | Sep 22, 1970 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
6 since 1996: 6 flash floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2011 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2007 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 1999 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 1999 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 1999 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 1997 | $1,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 2, 2011. Deep subtropical moisture in a light southwest flow aloft resulted in some thunderstorms with heavy rainfall in southwest Colorado.
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2007. Heavy rainfall concentrated just north of the La Plata and San Juan County line produced a massive flow of water, rock, and mud which flowed across the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gage Railroad tracks and into the Animas River.
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 1999. A flash flood brought down a large volume of rocks and debris onto US Highway 550 at the southern base of Red Mountain Pass. The highway was closed for several hours to allow the road to be cleared.
Flash Flood · Aug 27, 1999. A flash flood came down across a section of the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks and washed away much of the ballast.
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 San Juan 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.