Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0For wildfire, Pueblo West’s building-damage rate is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pueblo West gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #60 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then hail (15%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2017.
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 Pueblo West 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
Hail
Wildfire
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 Pueblo West’s grade
River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pueblo West, and Pueblo West’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 15%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #60 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pueblo West’s residents live in 11 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, Pueblo West has less expected damage per building than 63% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.1M a year in losses across Pueblo West: $4.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pueblo West flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pueblo West, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pueblo West isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pueblo County.The storms Pueblo West remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Pueblo County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pueblo West itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20171 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Pueblo County has had 11 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pueblo County, 2005–2026.
Old photos of Pueblo West after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pueblo West archive →Pueblo West and its neighbors
Pueblo West 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pueblo | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Pueblo West | B−less damage than 53% | 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 Pueblo West 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Pueblo West
Is Pueblo West at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pueblo West has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #60 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and hail (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pueblo West flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Pueblo West since 2017, $2K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Pueblo West 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 Pueblo County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pueblo West?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pueblo West’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pueblo West at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Pueblo West’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pueblo West.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pueblo West’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.