For hail, Columbine’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Columbine gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #84 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%), then hail (40%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1982.
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 Columbine 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 Columbine’s grade
River and rain flooding is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Columbine, and Columbine’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 40%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #84 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Columbine’s residents live in 7 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, Columbine has more expected damage per building than 53% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.2M a year in losses across Columbine: $5.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Columbine flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Columbine, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Columbine isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.The storms Columbine remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for its 2 counties shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Columbine itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19822 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19951 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Its 2 counties have 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.
Also 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in its 2 counties, 2000–2024.
Old photos of Columbine after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Columbine archive →Columbine and its neighbors
Columbine is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Caryl | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Columbine | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Littleton | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Columbine Valley | Dmore damage than 85% | 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 Columbine 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 Columbine
Is Columbine at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Columbine has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #84 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%) and hail (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Columbine flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Columbine since 1982, $200K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Columbine 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 Jefferson County, 41% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Columbine?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Columbine’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Columbine at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Columbine’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Columbine.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Columbine’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.