Photo: John from tucson az · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Pinetop-Lakeside than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pinetop-Lakeside gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #85 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (68%), then river and rain flooding (30%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2013.
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 Pinetop-Lakeside faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
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 Pinetop-Lakeside’s grade
Wildfire is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pinetop-Lakeside, and Pinetop-Lakeside’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 30% (lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #85 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pinetop-Lakeside’s residents live in 7 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, Pinetop-Lakeside has more expected damage per building than 60% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across Pinetop-Lakeside: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pinetop-Lakeside flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pinetop-Lakeside, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pinetop-Lakeside isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Navajo County.The storms Pinetop-Lakeside remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Navajo County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pinetop-Lakeside itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20131 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20201 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Navajo County has 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Navajo County, 1999–2006.
Old photos of Pinetop-Lakeside after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pinetop-Lakeside archive →Pinetop-Lakeside and its neighbors
Pinetop-Lakeside 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show Low | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Wagon Wheel | C+more damage than 60% | wildfire | — |
| Pinetop Country Club | C−more damage than 77% | wildfire | — |
| Pinetop-Lakeside | C−more damage than 83% | wildfire | 2 |
| Lake of the Woods | Dmore damage than 88% | wildfire | 1 |
| Hondah | — | 697 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 Pinetop-Lakeside faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Pinetop-Lakeside
Is Pinetop-Lakeside at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pinetop-Lakeside has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #85 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (68%) and river and rain flooding (30%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pinetop-Lakeside flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Pinetop-Lakeside since 2013, $1K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Pinetop-Lakeside 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 Navajo County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pinetop-Lakeside?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pinetop-Lakeside’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pinetop-Lakeside at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Pinetop-Lakeside’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pinetop-Lakeside.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pinetop-Lakeside’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.