Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Clarkdale faces more hazard damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clarkdale gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #58 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then wildfire (29%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 stands out about Clarkdale’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Clarkdale 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 Clarkdale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clarkdale, and Clarkdale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 29%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C #58 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Clarkdale’s residents live in 4 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, Clarkdale has less expected damage per building than 59% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Clarkdale: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Clarkdale flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clarkdale, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Clarkdale is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Yavapai County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Clarkdale
Disasters that paid out in Clarkdale itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Clarkdale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2010Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$3K to the Town of Clarkdale for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$3K to the Town of Clarkdale for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Clarkdale for repairs
Yavapai County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 13 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Yavapai County, 2002–2022.
Old photos of Clarkdale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Clarkdale archive →Clarkdale and its neighbors
Clarkdale is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Clarkdale | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Clarkdale 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.
- Clarkdale residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Clarkdale
Is Clarkdale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clarkdale has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #58 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and wildfire (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Clarkdale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Clarkdale since 1993, $32K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Clarkdale 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 Yavapai County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Clarkdale?
Clarkdale is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Clarkdale?
By FEMA money that reached Clarkdale, Severe Winter Storms and Flooding (2010): $3K to the Town of Clarkdale for repairs.
Is Clarkdale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Clarkdale’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clarkdale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clarkdale’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.