Natural disaster risk in Chaves County, New Mexico
New Mexico · population 65,065 · FIPS 35005
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Chaves County has a composite risk score of 87.6 out of 100 — higher than 87% of US counties. It ranks 4 of 33 in New Mexico (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, strong wind, winter weather.
Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, at least 54 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 24.99% of Chaves County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 99.22% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Chaves 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. |
Relatively moderate 87.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $50.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 83.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 73.3 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 4.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Chaves County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively high 98 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 95 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 93 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 87 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 85 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Hail | Relatively low 66 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 34 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 54 |
| Hurricane | Very low 39 |
| Earthquake | Very low 31 |
| Landslide | Very low 26 |
| Tornado | Very low 20 |
| Avalanche | Very low 2 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Chaves County
Federal declarations that designated Chaves County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Chaves County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3628-NM (Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides), declared 10 Jul 2025.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3628-NM | Emergency | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides | 10 Jul 2025 | No |
| DR-4843-NM | Major disaster | Severe Storm and Flooding | 1 Nov 2024 | Yes |
All FEMA declarations in New Mexico, 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 Chaves County, New Mexico?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Chaves County as relatively moderate, with a score of 87.6 out of 100 (higher than 87% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Chaves County?
The hazards rated highest for Chaves County are drought (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high), winter weather (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Chaves County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Chaves County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Chaves County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Chaves County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3628-NM (Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides), declared 10 Jul 2025.
Is Chaves County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 24.99% of Chaves County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row. In all, 99.22% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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