Photo: SunDawn · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Parachute than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Parachute gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%), then wildfire (27%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2023.
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 stands out about Parachute’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Parachute 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
Landslides
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 Parachute’s grade
River and rain flooding is 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Parachute, and Parachute’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 27%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Parachute’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $966K a year in losses across Parachute: $408K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Parachute flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2023
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Parachute, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Parachute isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Garfield County.The storms Parachute remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Garfield County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Parachute itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20231 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Garfield County has had 3 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 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Garfield County, 2002–2020.
Old photos of Parachute after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Parachute archive →Parachute and its neighbors
Parachute 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battlement Mesa | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Parachute | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 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 Parachute 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.
- Watch for new cracks, tilting trees or suddenly muddy streams after heavy rain.
- Stay off steep slopes in a downpour.
- Leave if you hear rumbling upslope.
- 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 Parachute
Is Parachute at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Parachute has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%) and wildfire (27%). 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 Parachute flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Parachute since 2023, $17K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Parachute 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 Garfield County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Parachute?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Parachute’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Parachute at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Parachute’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Parachute.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Parachute’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.