FEMA puts Desert Hills’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Desert Hills gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #81 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Desert Hills 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 Desert Hills’ grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Desert Hills, and Desert Hills’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #81 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Desert Hills’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Arizona town has higher expected damage than 78% of U.S. towns; within the state, Desert Hills has more expected damage per building than 58% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Desert Hills: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Desert Hills flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Desert Hills. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Desert Hills isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Mohave County.The storms Desert Hills remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Mohave County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Desert Hills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Mohave County has had 9 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Mohave County, 2005–2015.
Desert Hills and its neighbors
Desert Hills 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Havasu City | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Desert Hills | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Crystal Beach | — | 299 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Desert Hills 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 Desert Hills
Is Desert Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Desert Hills has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #81 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Desert Hills 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 Mohave County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Desert Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Desert Hills’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Desert Hills at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Desert Hills’ rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Desert Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Desert Hills’ 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.