Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Pueblo than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pueblo gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #24 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then hail (19%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1980.
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 Pueblo’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Pueblo 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
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’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pueblo, and Pueblo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 19%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #24 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pueblo’s residents live in 40 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 has less expected damage per building than 85% of Colorado towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Pueblo has lower expected damage per building than 84% (#65 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $27.0M, is the 364th largest of those 400.
Does Pueblo flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pueblo, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pueblo 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pueblo
Disasters that paid out in Pueblo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Pueblo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$474K to the City of Pueblo for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2006Snow$26K to the City of Pueblo for repairs
- 2006Snow$21K to the City of Pueblo for repairs
- 2003Snow$2K to the City of Pueblo for repairs
- 1999Co-flooding 4/30/99$150K to the City of Pueblo for repairs
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 after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pueblo archive →Pueblo and its neighbors
Pueblo has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. 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 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.
- 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
Is Pueblo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pueblo has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #24 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and hail (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pueblo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Pueblo since 1980, $119K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Pueblo 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?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pueblo’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 Pueblo?
By FEMA money that reached Pueblo, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2015): $474K to the City of Pueblo for repairs.
Is Pueblo at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Pueblo’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pueblo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pueblo’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.