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DowntownRawlinsPhoto: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY-SA 4.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Rawlins · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Rawlins as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rawlins gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #14 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 88%Earthquakes 8%Wildfire 2%

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

less than 55%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#14 of 28 in Wyoming
Hazard risk
B#14 of 28
in Wyoming · lower than 55% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 1 declared for Carbon County
By hazard

What Rawlins 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

88%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Earthquakes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Ice storms Tornadoes Strong wind Hail Winter storms Cold waves Lightning Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 23% of Rawlins’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Rawlins’ grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rawlins, and Rawlins’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 8% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Rawlins sits
Rawlins
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B #14 of 28 in Wyoming; lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Rawlins’ residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Earthquakes8%Everything else4%

The typical Wyoming town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Rawlins has less expected damage per building than 52% of Wyoming towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.6M a year in losses across Rawlins: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Rawlins covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Rawlins flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rawlins. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Rawlins isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Carbon County.
Disasters

The storms Rawlins remembers

None of the 1 disasters declared for Carbon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Rawlins itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RawlinsCarbon County only

Carbon County has had 1 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Carbon County, 2020–2020.

Be ready

Get ready for what Rawlins faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Rawlins

Is Rawlins at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rawlins has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #14 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and earthquakes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Rawlins 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 Carbon County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Rawlins?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rawlins’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Rawlins at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Rawlins’ rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rawlins.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rawlins’ 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.