Chope's Town Cafe and Bar · Photo: Treecholla · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Chaparral’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chaparral gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #57 of 73 in New Mexico. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then wildfire (35%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Chaparral 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
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 Chaparral’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chaparral, and Chaparral’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 35%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #57 of 73 in New Mexico; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Chaparral’s residents live in 4 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, Chaparral has more expected damage per building than 78% of New Mexico towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.6M a year in losses across Chaparral: $4.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chaparral flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chaparral. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Chaparral isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dona Ana County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Chaparral
Disasters that paid out in Chaparral itself (aid to households or repair grants to Chaparral), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding140 households applied for aid$60K aid approved
Its 2 counties have had 13 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 its 2 counties, 2000–2024.
Old photos of Chaparral after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chaparral archive →Chaparral and its neighbors
Chaparral 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 341 |
| Chaparral | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Chaparral 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.
- 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 Chaparral
Is Chaparral at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chaparral has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #57 of 73 in New Mexico. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and wildfire (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Chaparral 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 Dona Ana County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chaparral?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chaparral’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 Chaparral?
By FEMA money that reached Chaparral, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 140 households applied for aid, $60K approved.
Is Chaparral at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Chaparral’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chaparral.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chaparral’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.