Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Basalt’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Basalt gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #146 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1984.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Basalt faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Basalt’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Basalt, and Basalt’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #146 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Basalt’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Basalt has more expected damage per building than 92% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.4M a year in losses across Basalt: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Basalt flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Basalt, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Basalt isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Eagle County.The storms Basalt remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Eagle County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Basalt itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20192 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19841 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides and Flooding, declared for Eagle County
Eagle County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Eagle County, 2002–2020.
Old photos of Basalt after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Basalt archive →Basalt and its neighbors
Basalt has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basalt | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| El Jebel | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Basalt faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Basalt
Is Basalt at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Basalt has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #146 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Basalt flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Basalt since 1984, $89K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Basalt in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Eagle County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Basalt?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Basalt’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Basalt at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Basalt’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Basalt.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Basalt’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.