FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Mohave Valley than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mohave Valley gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Mohave Valley 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 Mohave Valley’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mohave Valley, and Mohave Valley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #140 of 140 in Arizona; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mohave Valley’s residents live in 3 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, Mohave Valley has more expected damage per building than 100% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.0M a year in losses across Mohave Valley: $4.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mohave Valley flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mohave Valley. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Mohave Valley 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 Mohave Valley remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Mohave County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mohave Valley 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.
Mohave Valley and its neighbors
Mohave Valley has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohave Valley | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Willow Valley | — | 981 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Mojave Ranch Estates | — | 46 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Arizona Village | — | 713 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 Mohave Valley 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 Mohave Valley
Is Mohave Valley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mohave Valley has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Mohave Valley 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 Mohave Valley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mohave Valley’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Mohave Valley at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Mohave Valley’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mohave Valley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mohave Valley’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.