Photo: Pi3.124 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Fountain faces more hazard damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fountain gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #139 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1985.
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 Fountain 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
Hail
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 Fountain’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fountain, and Fountain’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 9%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #139 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Fountain’s residents live in 14 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, Fountain has more expected damage per building than 87% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.4M a year in losses across Fountain: $7.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fountain flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fountain, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Fountain isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: El Paso County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fountain
Disasters that paid out in Fountain itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Fountain), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$505K to the City of Fountain for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$141K to the City of Fountain for repairs
- 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$281K to the City of Fountain for repairs
- 1999Co-flooding 4/30/99$168K to the City of Fountain for repairs
El Paso County has had 14 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in El Paso County, 2012–2013.
Old photos of Fountain after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fountain archive →Fountain and its neighbors
Fountain is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Springs | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 243 |
| Fort Carson | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Security-Widefield | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Stratmoor | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Fountain | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Fountain 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.
- 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.
- 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 Fountain
Is Fountain at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fountain has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #139 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and wildfire (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Fountain flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Fountain since 1985, $10K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Fountain 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 El Paso County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fountain?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fountain’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Fountain?
By FEMA money that reached Fountain, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2023): $505K to the City of Fountain for repairs.
Is Fountain at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Fountain’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fountain.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fountain’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.