FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in El Cerro Mission as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Cerro Mission gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #31 of 73 in New Mexico. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%), then earthquakes (10%). 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 El Cerro Mission 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
Earthquakes
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 El Cerro Mission’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in El Cerro Mission, and El Cerro Mission’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 10% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #31 of 73 in New Mexico; higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
El Cerro Mission’s residents live in 2 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, El Cerro Mission has less expected damage per building than 58% of New Mexico towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $835K a year in losses across El Cerro Mission: $671K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does El Cerro Mission flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in El Cerro Mission. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
El Cerro Mission isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Valencia County.The storms El Cerro Mission remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Valencia County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching El Cerro Mission itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Valencia County has had 5 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 7 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Valencia County, 2000–2025.
El Cerro Mission and its neighbors
El Cerro Mission 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Cerro Mission | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| El Cerro | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Monterey Park | — | 667 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 El Cerro Mission 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 El Cerro Mission
Is El Cerro Mission at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, El Cerro Mission has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #31 of 73 in New Mexico. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and earthquakes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is El Cerro Mission 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 Valencia County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 6.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in El Cerro Mission?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for El Cerro Mission’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is El Cerro Mission at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and El Cerro Mission’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in El Cerro Mission.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where El Cerro Mission’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.