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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Dotsero · FEMA

FEMA puts Dotsero’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dotsero gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 97%Wildfire 1%

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

more than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Colorado · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
97% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 3 declared for Eagle County
By hazard

What Dotsero 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

97%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Earthquakes Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Lightning Volcanic activity top 0%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 78% of Dotsero’s expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Dotsero’s grade

River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dotsero, and Dotsero’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 1%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Dotsero sits
Dotsero
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Dotsero’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding97%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.8M a year in losses across Dotsero: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Dotsero covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Dotsero flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Dotsero. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Dotsero isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Eagle County.
Disasters

The storms Dotsero remembers

None of the 3 disasters declared for Eagle County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dotsero itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DotseroEagle County only

Eagle County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Eagle County, 2002–2020.

Be ready

Get ready for what Dotsero faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Dotsero

Is Dotsero at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dotsero has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Dotsero 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 Eagle County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Dotsero?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dotsero’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Dotsero at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Dotsero’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dotsero.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dotsero’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.