Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0For wildfire, Carefree’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carefree gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #27 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then wildfire (17%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1993.
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 Carefree 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
Wildfire
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 Carefree’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carefree, and Carefree’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 17%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #27 of 140 in Arizona; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Carefree’s residents live in 3 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, Carefree has less expected damage per building than 81% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Carefree: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Carefree flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Carefree, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Carefree isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Maricopa County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Carefree
Disasters that paid out in Carefree itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Carefree), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$78K to the Town of Carefree for repairs
Its 2 counties have had 12 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 11 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in its 2 counties, 2005–2024.
Old photos of Carefree after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Carefree archive →Carefree and its neighbors
Carefree has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carefree | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Cave Creek | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Scottsdale | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 148 |
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 Carefree 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Carefree
Is Carefree at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carefree has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #27 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and wildfire (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Carefree flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Carefree since 1993, $163K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Carefree 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 Maricopa County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Carefree?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Carefree’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Carefree?
By FEMA money that reached Carefree, Severe Storms and Flooding (2014): $78K to the Town of Carefree for repairs.
Is Carefree at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Carefree’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carefree.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Carefree’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.