Photo: Musicoceanfan88 at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Marana’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marana gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #107 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1989.
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 Marana’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Marana 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 Marana’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marana, and Marana’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 9%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D #107 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Marana’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, Marana has more expected damage per building than 76% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $31.8M a year in losses across Marana: $23.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Marana flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Marana, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Marana is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pima County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Marana
Disasters that paid out in Marana itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Marana), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$220K to the Town of Marana for repairs
Pima 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pima County, 2003–2020.
Old photos of Marana after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Marana archive →Marana and its neighbors
Marana is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson Mountains | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Tucson | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 120 |
| Casas Adobes | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Marana | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Picture Rocks | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Nelson | — | 519 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 Marana 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.
- Marana residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Marana
Is Marana at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marana has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #107 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) and wildfire (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Marana flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Marana since 1989, $60K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Marana 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 Pima County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Marana?
Marana is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% 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 Marana?
By FEMA money that reached Marana, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $220K to the Town of Marana for repairs.
Is Marana at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Marana’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marana.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Marana’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.