Rockland Community Church and Cemetery · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Genesee than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Genesee gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #156 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (65%), then river and rain flooding (21%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1997.
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 Genesee faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
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 Genesee’s grade
Wildfire is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Genesee, and Genesee’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 11%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #156 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Genesee’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Genesee has more expected damage per building than 98% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.7M a year in losses across Genesee: $4.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Genesee flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Genesee, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Genesee 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 Genesee remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Genesee itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19971 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
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 Genesee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Genesee archive →Get ready for what Genesee faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Genesee
Is Genesee at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Genesee has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #156 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (65%) and river and rain flooding (21%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Genesee flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Genesee since 1997, $2K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Genesee 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 Genesee?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Genesee’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Genesee at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Genesee’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Genesee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Genesee’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.