Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Apache Junction’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Apache Junction gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #15 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 2013.
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
What stands out about Apache Junction’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Apache Junction 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
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.
What’s behind Apache Junction’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Apache Junction, and Apache Junction’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B #15 of 140 in Arizona; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Apache Junction’s residents live in 16 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Arizona town has higher expected damage than 78% of U.S. towns; within the state, Apache Junction has less expected damage per building than 90% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.4M a year in losses across Apache Junction: $7.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Apache Junction flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Apache Junction, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Apache Junction isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pinal County.The storms Apache Junction remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Pinal County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Apache Junction itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20136 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20194 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20162 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Pinal County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 10 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinal County, 2002–2025.
Old photos of Apache Junction after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Apache Junction archive →Apache Junction and its neighbors
Apache Junction has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Junction | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Mesa | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Gold Canyon | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Queen Creek | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Apache Junction faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Apache Junction
Is Apache Junction at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Apache Junction has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #15 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Apache Junction flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Apache Junction since 2013, $1.2M in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Apache Junction 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 Pinal County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Apache Junction?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Apache Junction’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Apache Junction at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Apache Junction’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Apache Junction.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Apache Junction’s 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.