Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Durango’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Durango gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #134 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%), then wildfire (10%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1996.
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 Durango 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
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 Durango’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Durango, and Durango’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 10%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #134 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Durango’s residents live in 6 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, Durango has more expected damage per building than 84% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $18.6M a year in losses across Durango: $10.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Durango flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Durango, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Durango is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: La Plata County.The storms Durango remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for La Plata County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Durango itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19961 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20001 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20051 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
La Plata County has had 4 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 La Plata County, 2002–2002.
Old photos of Durango after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Durango archive →Get ready for what Durango 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.
- 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.
- Durango residents get 05% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Durango
Is Durango at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Durango has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #134 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and wildfire (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Durango flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Durango since 1996, $143K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Durango 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 La Plata County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Durango?
Durango is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Durango at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Durango’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Durango.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Durango’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.