Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to San Luis

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Friendship Park, San Luis, ArizonaPhoto: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in San Luis · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, San Luis faces more hazard damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Luis gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #93 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (54%), then river and rain flooding (46%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Earthquakes 54%River and rain flooding 46%

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

more than 86%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#93 of 140 in Arizona
Hazard risk
D#93 of 140
in Arizona · higher than 86% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 3 declared for Yuma County
By hazard

What San Luis faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

54%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

46%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Wildfire Hurricanes Tornadoes Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter stormsIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 11% of San Luis’ expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind San Luis’ grade

Earthquakes are 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in San Luis, and San Luis’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 46% (higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts).

Where San Luis sits
San Luis
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #93 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).

San Luis’ residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes54%River and rain flooding46%

The typical Arizona town has higher expected damage than 78% of U.S. towns; within the state, San Luis has more expected damage per building than 66% of Arizona towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.2M a year in losses across San Luis: $6.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 8 census tracts by where San Luis’ residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does San Luis flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in San Luis. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

San Luis isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Yuma County.
Disasters

The storms San Luis remembers

None of the 3 disasters declared for Yuma County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching San Luis itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in San LuisYuma County only

Yuma County has had 3 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what San Luis faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in San Luis

Is San Luis at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, San Luis has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #93 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (54%) and river and rain flooding (46%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is San Luis 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 Yuma County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in San Luis?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for San Luis’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is San Luis at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and San Luis’ rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in San Luis.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where San Luis’ 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.