Photo: SearchNet Media from Tucson, Arizona, USA · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Flagstaff faces more hazard damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Flagstaff gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #115 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%), then wildfire (12%). Flood insurance has paid 56 claims here since 1979.
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 Flagstaff’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Flagstaff 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 Flagstaff’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Flagstaff, and Flagstaff’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 12%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D #115 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Flagstaff’s residents live in 21 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, Flagstaff has more expected damage per building than 82% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $70.4M a year in losses across Flagstaff: $42.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Flagstaff flood? Sometimes: 56 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Flagstaff, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Flagstaff is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Coconino County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Flagstaff
Disasters that paid out in Flagstaff itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Flagstaff), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$2.4M to the City of Flagstaff for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$26K to the City of Flagstaff for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$364K to the City of Flagstaff for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Coconino 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 10 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Coconino County, 2006–2022.
Old photos of Flagstaff after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Flagstaff archive →Flagstaff and its neighbors
Flagstaff 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagstaff | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 56 |
| Fort Valley | D−more damage than 96% | wildfire | 2 |
| Doney Park | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
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 Flagstaff 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.
- Flagstaff residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Flagstaff
Is Flagstaff at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Flagstaff has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #115 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and wildfire (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Flagstaff flood?
Flood insurance has paid 56 claims in Flagstaff since 1979, $1.2M in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Flagstaff 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 Coconino County, 30% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Flagstaff?
Flagstaff is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% 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 Flagstaff?
By FEMA money that reached Flagstaff, Severe Storms and Flooding (2010): $2.4M to the City of Flagstaff for repairs.
Is Flagstaff at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Flagstaff’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Flagstaff.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Flagstaff’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.