Photo: AllenS · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than High Rolls, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, High Rolls gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (72%), then river and rain flooding (27%). 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 High Rolls faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
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 High Rolls’ grade
Wildfire is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in High Rolls, and High Rolls’ rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 27%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
High Rolls’ residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across High Rolls: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does High Rolls flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in High Rolls. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
High Rolls 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.The storms High Rolls remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Otero County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching High Rolls itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Get ready for what High Rolls faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 High Rolls
Is High Rolls at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, High Rolls has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (72%) and river and rain flooding (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is High Rolls 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 High Rolls?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for High Rolls’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is High Rolls at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and High Rolls’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in High Rolls.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where High Rolls’ 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.