Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Ordway than in 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ordway gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Ordway 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 Ordway’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ordway, and Ordway’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 8%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ordway’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $498K a year in losses across Ordway: $220K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ordway flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ordway. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ordway
Disasters that paid out in Ordway itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ordway), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Snow$2K to the Town of Ordway for repairs
- 1999Co-flooding 4/30/99$35K to the Town of Ordway for repairs
Crowley County has had 8 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Crowley County, 2008–2008.
Old photos of Ordway after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ordway archive →Get ready for what Ordway 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 Ordway
Is Ordway at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ordway has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and wildfire (8%). 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.
Is Ordway 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.
How much is flood insurance in Ordway?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ordway’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 Ordway?
By FEMA money that reached Ordway, Co-flooding 4/30/99 (1999): $35K to the Town of Ordway for repairs.
Is Ordway at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Ordway’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ordway.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ordway’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.