Photo: Foreverstocks · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Alamogordo’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alamogordo gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #49 of 73 in New Mexico. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 68 claims here since 1996.
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 Alamogordo 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 Alamogordo’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alamogordo, and Alamogordo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #49 of 73 in New Mexico; higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Alamogordo’s residents live in 12 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New Mexico town has higher expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Alamogordo has more expected damage per building than 67% of New Mexico towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.7M a year in losses across Alamogordo: $10.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Alamogordo flood? Sometimes: 68 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Alamogordo, from FEMA’s records: 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Alamogordo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Otero County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alamogordo
Disasters that paid out in Alamogordo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Alamogordo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$424K to the City of Alamogordo for repairs
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$225K to the City of Alamogordo for repairs
- 2012Flooding$17.0M to the City of Alamogordo for repairs
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Extreme Cold Temperatures$23K to the City of Alamogordo for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$480K to the City of Alamogordo for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding118 households applied for aid$58K aid approved$589K to the City of Alamogordo for repairs38 flood claims paid that year
Otero 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 9 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Otero County, 2000–2024.
Old photos of Alamogordo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Alamogordo archive →Alamogordo and its neighbors
Alamogordo is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Luz | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Boles Acres | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Alamogordo | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 68 |
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 Alamogordo 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Alamogordo
Is Alamogordo at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alamogordo has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #49 of 73 in New Mexico. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Alamogordo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 68 claims in Alamogordo since 1996, $1.4M in all, or 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Alamogordo 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 Otero County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Alamogordo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alamogordo’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 Alamogordo?
By FEMA money that reached Alamogordo, Flooding (2012): $17.0M to the City of Alamogordo for repairs.
Is Alamogordo at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Alamogordo’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alamogordo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alamogordo’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.