Photo: The original uploader was Tillman at English Wikipedia. · CC BY 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Douglas than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Douglas gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #45 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then wildfire (13%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2000.
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 Douglas 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
Earthquakes
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 Douglas’ grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Douglas, and Douglas’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 13%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C #45 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Douglas’ residents live in 6 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, Douglas has less expected damage per building than 68% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.0M a year in losses across Douglas: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Douglas flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Douglas, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Douglas isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cochise County.The storms Douglas remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Cochise County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Douglas itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20016 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20001 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Cochise County
Cochise County has had 6 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Cochise County, 2003–2017.
Old photos of Douglas after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Douglas archive →Douglas and its neighbors
Douglas has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Pirtleville | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Douglas 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Douglas
Is Douglas at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Douglas has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #45 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and wildfire (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Douglas flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Douglas since 2000, $47K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Douglas 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 Cochise County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Douglas?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Douglas’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Douglas at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Douglas’ rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Douglas.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Douglas’ 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.