Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Palmer Lake faces more hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palmer Lake 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 (69%), then river and rain flooding (23%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Palmer Lake 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
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 Palmer Lake’s grade
Wildfire is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Palmer Lake, and Palmer Lake’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #156 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Palmer Lake’s residents live in 2 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, Palmer Lake has more expected damage per building than 98% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Palmer Lake: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Palmer Lake flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2015
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Palmer Lake, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Palmer Lake 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Palmer Lake
Disasters that paid out in Palmer Lake itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Palmer Lake), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Snow$2K to the Town of Palmer Lake for repairs
- 1999Co-flooding 4/30/99$27K to the Town of Palmer Lake 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 Palmer Lake after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Palmer Lake archive →Palmer Lake and its neighbors
Palmer Lake is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monument | Dmore damage than 88% | wildfire | 1 |
| Palmer Lake | D−more damage than 96% | wildfire | 1 |
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 Palmer Lake 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.
- 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 Palmer Lake
Is Palmer Lake at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palmer Lake 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 (69%) and river and rain flooding (23%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Palmer Lake flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Palmer Lake since 2015, $3K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Palmer Lake 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 Palmer Lake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Palmer Lake’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 Palmer Lake?
By FEMA money that reached Palmer Lake, Co-flooding 4/30/99 (1999): $27K to the Town of Palmer Lake for repairs.
Is Palmer Lake at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Palmer Lake’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Palmer Lake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Palmer Lake’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.