Bradford House II · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0For hail, Dakota Ridge’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dakota Ridge gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #81 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is hail (41%), then river and rain flooding (40%). 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 Dakota Ridge faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hail
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Wildfire
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 Dakota Ridge’s grade
Hail is 41% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dakota Ridge, and Dakota Ridge’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 5%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #81 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dakota Ridge’s residents live in 8 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, Dakota Ridge has more expected damage per building than 51% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.5M a year in losses across Dakota Ridge: $6.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dakota Ridge flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2023
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dakota Ridge, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Dakota Ridge 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 Dakota Ridge remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dakota Ridge 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 Jefferson County
Jefferson County has had 7 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 Jefferson County, 2000–2024.
Old photos of Dakota Ridge after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dakota Ridge archive →Dakota Ridge and its neighbors
Dakota Ridge is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Dakota Ridge faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Dakota Ridge
Is Dakota Ridge at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dakota Ridge has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #81 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is hail (41%) and river and rain flooding (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dakota Ridge flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Dakota Ridge since 2023, $34K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Dakota Ridge 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 Dakota Ridge?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dakota Ridge’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Dakota Ridge at risk from hail?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (41%), and Dakota Ridge’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dakota Ridge.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dakota Ridge’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.