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Jamestown Town HallJamestown Town Hall · Photo: Onionhead19 · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Jamestown · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Jamestown

Jamestown isn’t graded for hazard risk: Jamestown has 324 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1999.

Flood claims
15
paid since 1999 · $1.9M
Disasters paid out here
2
of 8 declared for Boulder County
By hazard

What Jamestown faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

54%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

42%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Landslides top 2% Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Lightning Avalanches top 1% Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesHeat wavesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 53% of Jamestown’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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Jamestown flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jamestown, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 2 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 13 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19992013
19992026
Biggest named events
  • The Late summer storms13 claims · $1.9M
15
paid claims since 1999
$1.9M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$125K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Boulder County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
11flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
2homes raised above flood level
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jamestown

Disasters that paid out in Jamestown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Jamestown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides288 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$11.0M to the Town of Jamestown for repairs13 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2006Snow$870 to the Town of Jamestown for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in JamestownBoulder County only

Boulder County has had 8 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 7 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Boulder County, 2000–2024.

Were you here?

Old photos of Jamestown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Jamestown archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Jamestown faces

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

Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 Jamestown

Does Jamestown flood?

Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Jamestown since 1999, $1.9M in all. The most claims came from Late summer storms (13).

Is Jamestown 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 Boulder County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Jamestown?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Jamestown’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 Jamestown?

By FEMA money that reached Jamestown, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2013): 288 households applied for aid, $1.2M approved, and $11.0M to the Town of Jamestown for repairs. By flood claims, Late summer storms: 13 paid, $1.9M.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jamestown.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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