Photo: Steven C. Price · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Globe than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Globe gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #111 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then wildfire (34%). Flood insurance has paid 22 claims here since 1980.
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 Globe’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Globe 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 Globe’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Globe, and Globe’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 34%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #111 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Globe’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, Globe has more expected damage per building than 79% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.5M a year in losses across Globe: $4.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Globe flood? Sometimes: 22 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Globe, from FEMA’s records: 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Globe isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Gila County.The storms Globe remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Gila County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Globe itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20258 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19837 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Gila County
- 19814 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Gila County has had 12 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 8 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Gila County, 1999–2021.
Old photos of Globe after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Globe archive →Globe and its neighbors
Globe is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claypool | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Globe | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Central Heights-Midland City | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pinal | — | 460 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Icehouse Canyon | — | 528 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 Globe 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Globe
Is Globe at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Globe has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #111 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and wildfire (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Globe flood?
Flood insurance has paid 22 claims in Globe since 1980, $709K in all, or 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Globe 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 Gila County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Globe?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Globe’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Globe at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Globe’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Globe.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Globe’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.