Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0Holly Hills’s building-damage rate from hail is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Holly Hills gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #65 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is hail (44%), then river and rain flooding (39%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2015.
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 Holly Hills faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hail
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
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 Holly Hills’ grade
Hail is 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Holly Hills, and Holly Hills’ rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 39% (lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #65 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Holly Hills’ 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, Holly Hills has less expected damage per building than 59% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $684K a year in losses across Holly Hills: $568K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Holly Hills flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2015
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Holly Hills, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Holly Hills isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Arapahoe County.The storms Holly Hills remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Arapahoe County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Holly Hills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20152 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Arapahoe County has had 8 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.
Old photos of Holly Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Holly Hills archive →Get ready for what Holly Hills faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Holly Hills
Is Holly Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Holly Hills has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #65 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is hail (44%) and river and rain flooding (39%). 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 Holly Hills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Holly Hills since 2015, $8K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Holly Hills 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 Arapahoe County, 48% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Holly Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Holly Hills’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Holly Hills at risk from hail?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Holly Hills’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Holly Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Holly Hills’ 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.