More hazard damage per building is expected in Vail than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vail gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #152 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1983.
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 Vail 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
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 Vail’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Vail, and Vail’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D #152 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Vail’s residents live in 3 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, Vail has more expected damage per building than 96% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $28.9M a year in losses across Vail: $10.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Vail flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Vail, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Vail is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Eagle County.The storms Vail remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Eagle County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Vail itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19841 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Mudslides, Landslides and Flooding, declared for Eagle County
Eagle 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Eagle County, 2002–2020.
Old photos of Vail after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Vail archive →Get ready for what Vail 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.
- 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.
- Vail residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Vail
Is Vail at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vail has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #152 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Vail flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Vail since 1983, $146K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Vail 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 Eagle County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Vail?
Vail is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Vail at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Vail’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vail.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Vail’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.