FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Colorado · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Rio Grande County, CO
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2013–2013), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 0
- Major disasters
- 46
- NRI risk · Relatively Low
- Fire
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Rio Grande County in the top 54% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Rio Grande County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Colorado county average and the national county average.
- Rio Grande County
- 1
- Colorado county avg
- 1.6
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Rio Grande County?
Rio Grande County, Colorado has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2013 and 2013, of which 0 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 36% below the Colorado county average of 1.6 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency — smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.
The dominant disaster type on record is Fire, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Low (composite score 45.8/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $8.9M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Very High and community resilience scores Very Low — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Landslide (Relatively Moderate).
NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Rio Grande County at a very low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps — flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management — before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
How Rio Grande County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. Colorado Avg
-36%
State avg: 1.6
vs. National Avg
-73%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
-
—
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Rio Grande County
The radar plots Rio Grande County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
08105
CO state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 1 FEMA disaster declarations in Rio Grande County by incident type.
Fire 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Fire Management — 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Rio Grande County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 1 FEMA disaster declarations for Rio Grande County, Colorado.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5031 | WEST FORK FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2013-06-21 |
Storm Events in Colorado
NOAA severe weather data for Colorado (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 5,405 | 0 | 100 | $2.9B |
| Winter Weather | 2,815 | 3 | 23 | $22.5K |
| High Wind | 2,148 | 5 | 6 | $21.2M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,995 | 2 | 11 | $5.7M |
| Winter Storm | 1,532 | 0 | 0 | $848.0K |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Rio Grande County.
Overall Risk
Relatively Low
Score: 45.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Very Low
$8.9M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very High
Community Resilience
Very Low
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Rio Grande County.
Landslide Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively High
Avalanche Relatively High
Lightning Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Low
Wildfire Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in Colorado
Other Colorado counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Rio Grande County, Colorado had?
Rio Grande County, Colorado has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2013 to 2013.
What is the most common disaster type in Rio Grande County?
The most common disaster type in Rio Grande County is Fire, with 1 declaration.
How does Rio Grande County's disaster risk compare to the Colorado average?
Rio Grande County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 36% lower than the Colorado county average of 1.6 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
What types of storms are most common in Colorado?
The most common storm types in Colorado include Hail (5,405 events), Winter Weather (2,815 events), High Wind (2,148 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Rio Grande County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Rio Grande County has a very low disaster risk level with 1 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Rio Grande County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Rio Grande County, Colorado has an overall risk score of 45.8 out of 100 (Relatively Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very High and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $8.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Rio Grande County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Rio Grande County is Landslide (risk rating: Relatively Moderate). Other significant hazards include Drought (Relatively High) and Avalanche (Relatively High). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Rio Grande County
Rio Grande County, CO has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a very low historical disaster load, 36% below the Colorado county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is fire management (1 of 1) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Colorado overview
- See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
- Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA — Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 — all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) — per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database — state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from $official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →