Photo: AllenS · Public domainFEMA puts Hatch’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, Hatch gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 44 claims here since 2000.
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 Hatch 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 Hatch’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hatch, and Hatch’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hatch’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Hatch: $933K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hatch flood? Sometimes: 44 flood claims since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hatch, from FEMA’s records: 89.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Hatch 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hatch
Disasters that paid out in Hatch itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Hatch), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides1 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding440 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$651K to the Village of Hatch for repairs42 flood claims paid that year
Dona Ana 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.
Old photos of Hatch after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hatch archive →Hatch and its neighbors
Hatch has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Hatch 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 Hatch
Is Hatch at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hatch has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Hatch flood?
Flood insurance has paid 44 claims in Hatch since 2000, $3.4M in all, or 89.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Hatch 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 Hatch?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hatch’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 Hatch?
By FEMA money that reached Hatch, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): 440 households applied for aid, $1.3M approved, and $651K to the Village of Hatch for repairs.
Is Hatch at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Hatch’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hatch.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hatch’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.