Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Black Forest faces more hazard damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Black Forest gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #142 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (62%), then river and rain flooding (27%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Black Forest faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Hail
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 Black Forest’s grade
Wildfire is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Black Forest, and Black Forest’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 6%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #142 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Black Forest’s residents live in 6 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, Black Forest has more expected damage per building than 89% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.8M a year in losses across Black Forest: $7.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Black Forest flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Black Forest. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Black Forest isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: El Paso County.The storms Black Forest remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for El Paso County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Black Forest itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
El Paso County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in El Paso County, 2012–2013.
Black Forest and its neighbors
Black Forest is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Springs | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 243 |
| Black Forest | Dmore damage than 88% | wildfire | 0 |
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 Black Forest faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Black Forest
Is Black Forest at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Black Forest has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #142 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (62%) and river and rain flooding (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Black Forest 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 El Paso County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Black Forest?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Black Forest’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Black Forest at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Black Forest’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Black Forest.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Black Forest’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.