Natural hazards · Cortez

Cortez, CO natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Cortez comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2006.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Cortez?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Cortez to be higher than in 2% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and lightning.

Inland flooding46%Lightning19%Earthquakes16%Cold waves9%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Cortez faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

46% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 6% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lightning

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Earthquakes

16% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 40% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 19 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong wind

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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

Flood insurance claims

Does Cortez flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cortez, from FEMA’s records.

1paid claims since 2006

$2Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20062026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Cortez isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Montezuma County.

Disasters that hit Cortez

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Montezuma County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cortez itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into CortezDeclared for Montezuma County only

Montezuma County has had 6 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and fires.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Cortez covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Cortez’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Cortez. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Cortez total about $655K a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.