Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Safford as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Safford gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #26 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1991.
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 Safford 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 Safford’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Safford, and Safford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #26 of 140 in Arizona; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Safford’s residents live in 5 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, Safford has less expected damage per building than 82% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.1M a year in losses across Safford: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Safford flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Safford, from FEMA’s records: 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Safford 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 Safford remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Graham County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Safford itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19932 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Graham County
- 20002 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20162 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 Safford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Safford archive →Safford and its neighbors
Safford is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thatcher | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Safford | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
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 Safford 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 Safford
Is Safford at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Safford has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #26 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Safford flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Safford since 1991, $208K in all, or 2.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Safford 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 Safford?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Safford’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Safford at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Safford’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Safford.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Safford’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.