Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Pima’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pima gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #84 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then wildfire (26%). Flood insurance has paid 4 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 Pima 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 Pima’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pima, and Pima’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 26%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #84 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pima’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Arizona town has higher expected damage than 78% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pima has more expected damage per building than 60% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Pima: $847K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pima flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pima, from FEMA’s records: 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pima isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Graham County.The storms Pima remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Graham County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pima itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Graham County
- 19831 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Graham County
- 19981 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Graham 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.
Old photos of Pima after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pima archive →Get ready for what Pima 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 Pima
Is Pima at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pima has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #84 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and wildfire (26%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pima flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Pima since 1978, $48K in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Pima 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 Graham County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pima?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pima’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pima at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Pima’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pima.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pima’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.