First National Bank of Eddy · Photo: MRobison · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Carlsbad faces more hazard damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carlsbad gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #66 of 73 in New Mexico. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 2002.
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 Carlsbad 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 Carlsbad’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carlsbad, and Carlsbad’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 1%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
D #66 of 73 in New Mexico; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Carlsbad’s residents live in 8 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, Carlsbad has more expected damage per building than 90% of New Mexico towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $23.8M a year in losses across Carlsbad: $19.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Carlsbad flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 2002
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Carlsbad, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Carlsbad isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Eddy County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Carlsbad
Disasters that paid out in Carlsbad itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Carlsbad), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$176K to the City of Carlsbad for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$654K to the City of Carlsbad for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$373K to the City of Carlsbad for repairs11 flood claims paid that year
Eddy County has had 7 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Eddy County, 2006–2006.
Old photos of Carlsbad after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Carlsbad archive →Carlsbad and its neighbors
Carlsbad 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| La Huerta | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Livingston Wheeler | — | 460 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Happy Valley | — | 845 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Carlsbad 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 Carlsbad
Is Carlsbad at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carlsbad has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #66 of 73 in New Mexico. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Carlsbad flood?
Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Carlsbad since 2002, $303K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Carlsbad 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 Eddy County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Carlsbad?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Carlsbad’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 Carlsbad?
By FEMA money that reached Carlsbad, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2013): $654K to the City of Carlsbad for repairs.
Is Carlsbad at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Carlsbad’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carlsbad.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Carlsbad’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.