Natural disaster risk in Elbert County, Colorado
Colorado · population 26,043 · FIPS 08039
Overall: very low risk
Elbert County has a composite risk score of 36.6 out of 100 — higher than 36% of US counties. It ranks 34 of 64 in Colorado (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are wildfire, hail, winter weather.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 18 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1% of Elbert County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 18 weeks in a row. In all, 9.42% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Elbert County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Very low 36.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $16.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 54.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 60.2 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Elbert County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 95 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 76 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 49 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 48 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 42 |
| Drought | Relatively low 34 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 28 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 35 |
| Earthquake | Very low 32 |
| Landslide | Very low 32 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 29 |
| Ice storm | Very low 19 |
| Heat wave | Very low 9 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Elbert County
Federal declarations that designated Elbert County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Elbert County.
All FEMA declarations in Colorado, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Elbert County, Colorado?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Elbert County as very low, with a score of 36.6 out of 100 (higher than 36% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Elbert County?
The hazards rated highest for Elbert County are wildfire (relatively moderate), hail (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Elbert County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Elbert County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Elbert County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Elbert County.
Is Elbert County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 1% of Elbert County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 18 weeks in a row. In all, 9.42% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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