For hail, Cherry Creek’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cherry Creek gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #73 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (43%), then hail (43%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2023.
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 Cherry Creek 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
Hail
Tornadoes
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 Cherry Creek’s grade
River and rain flooding is 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cherry Creek, and Cherry Creek’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 43%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #73 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cherry Creek’s residents live in 5 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, Cherry Creek has less expected damage per building than 54% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Cherry Creek: $3.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cherry Creek flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2023
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cherry Creek, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Cherry Creek isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Arapahoe County.The storms Cherry Creek remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Arapahoe County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cherry Creek itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20231 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Arapahoe County
Arapahoe County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Cherry Creek after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cherry Creek archive →Cherry Creek and its neighbors
Cherry Creek is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwood Village | Bless damage than 56% | hail | 10 |
| Centennial | B−more damage than 51% | hail | 15 |
| Cherry Creek | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Cherry Creek 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.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Cherry Creek
Is Cherry Creek at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cherry Creek has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #73 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (43%) and hail (43%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cherry Creek flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Cherry Creek since 2023, $5K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Cherry Creek 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 Arapahoe County, 48% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cherry Creek?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cherry Creek’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Cherry Creek at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and Cherry Creek’s rate for it is lower than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cherry Creek.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cherry Creek’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.