Photo: User:Ceemo · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Peoria than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peoria gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #78 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1978.
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 Peoria 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 Peoria’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Peoria, and Peoria’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #78 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Peoria’s residents live in 49 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, Peoria has more expected damage per building than 55% of Arizona towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Peoria has higher expected damage per building than 75% (#299 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $104M, is the 110th largest of those 400.
Does Peoria flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Peoria, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Peoria isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Maricopa County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Peoria
Disasters that paid out in Peoria itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Peoria), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Hurricane Katrina Evacuation$17K to the City of Peoria for repairs
Its 2 counties have 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 11 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in its 2 counties, 2005–2024.
Old photos of Peoria after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Peoria archive →Peoria and its neighbors
Peoria is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 863 |
| Surprise | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Sun City | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Glendale | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Peoria | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
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 Peoria 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 Peoria
Is Peoria at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peoria has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #78 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Peoria flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Peoria since 1978, $332K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Peoria 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 Maricopa County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Peoria?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Peoria’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 Peoria?
By FEMA money that reached Peoria, Hurricane Katrina Evacuation (2005): $17K to the City of Peoria for repairs.
Is Peoria at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Peoria’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Peoria.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Peoria’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.