Type B at 2019 E. Water St · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Catalina than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Catalina gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #97 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (57%), then river and rain flooding (41%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1983.
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 Catalina faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
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 Catalina’s grade
Wildfire is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Catalina, and Catalina’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 41% (higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts).
D #97 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Catalina’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, Catalina has more expected damage per building than 69% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.7M a year in losses across Catalina: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Catalina flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Catalina, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Catalina isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pima County.The storms Catalina remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Pima County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Catalina itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19831 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Pima County
- 20031 flood claims paidThe year of Aspen Fire, declared for Pima County
Pima 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pima County, 2003–2020.
Old photos of Catalina after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Catalina archive →Catalina and its neighbors
Catalina is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saddlebrooke | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oro Valley | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Catalina | Dmore damage than 87% | wildfire | 2 |
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 Catalina faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Catalina
Is Catalina at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Catalina has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #97 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (57%) and river and rain flooding (41%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Catalina flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Catalina since 1983, $8K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Catalina 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 Pima County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Catalina?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Catalina’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Catalina at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Catalina’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Catalina.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Catalina’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.