Photo: The original uploader was Danman083 at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Oro Valley’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oro Valley gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #79 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%), then wildfire (14%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1983.
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 Oro 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
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 Oro Valley’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oro Valley, and Oro Valley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 14%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #79 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Oro Valley’s residents live in 16 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, Oro Valley has more expected damage per building than 56% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $25.1M a year in losses across Oro Valley: $18.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oro Valley flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oro Valley, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Oro 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: Pima County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Oro Valley
Disasters that paid out in Oro Valley itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Oro Valley), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$1.1M to the Town of Oro Valley for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
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 Oro Valley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oro Valley archive →Oro Valley and its neighbors
Oro Valley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oro Valley | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Catalina | Dmore damage than 87% | wildfire | 2 |
| Casas Adobes | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Oro 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.
- 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 Oro Valley
Is Oro Valley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oro Valley has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #79 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and wildfire (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Oro Valley flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Oro Valley since 1983, $188K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Oro 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 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 Oro Valley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oro Valley’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Oro Valley?
By FEMA money that reached Oro Valley, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $1.1M to the Town of Oro Valley for repairs.
Is Oro Valley at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Oro Valley’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oro Valley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oro 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.