US Post Office and Federal Building-Delta Main · Photo: Jeffrey Beall from Colorado, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Delta’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Delta gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #123 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 2 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 Delta 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
Earthquakes
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 Delta’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Delta, and Delta’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 6% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #123 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Delta’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, Delta has more expected damage per building than 77% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Delta: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Delta flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Delta, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Delta isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Delta County.The storms Delta remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Delta County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Delta itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19841 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides and Flooding, declared for Delta County
- 19931 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Delta County has had 5 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Delta County, 2004–2004.
Old photos of Delta after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Delta archive →Get ready for what Delta 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Delta
Is Delta at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Delta has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #123 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%) and earthquakes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Delta flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Delta since 1984, $5K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Delta 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 Delta County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Delta?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Delta’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Delta at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Delta’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Delta.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Delta’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.