Photo: User:Swampyank · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Cody faces less hazard damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cody gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #12 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%), then earthquakes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1997.
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 Cody 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 Cody’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cody, and Cody’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 11% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).
B #12 of 28 in Wyoming; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cody’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Wyoming town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Cody has less expected damage per building than 59% of Wyoming towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.1M a year in losses across Cody: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cody flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cody, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Cody isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Park County.The storms Cody remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Park County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cody itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19971 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Park County has had 2 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods.
Old photos of Cody after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cody archive →Get ready for what Cody 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 Cody
Is Cody at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cody has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #12 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and earthquakes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cody flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Cody since 1997, $96K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Cody 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 Park County, 3% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cody?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cody’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Cody at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Cody’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cody.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cody’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.