Photo: Ixnayonthetimmay · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Show Low’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Show Low gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #11 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%), then wildfire (36%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1992.
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 stands out about Show Low’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Show Low 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 Show Low’s grade
River and rain flooding is 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Show Low, and Show Low’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 36%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #11 of 140 in Arizona; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Show Low’s residents live in 8 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, Show Low has less expected damage per building than 93% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.7M a year in losses across Show Low: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Show Low flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Show Low, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Show Low is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Navajo County.The storms Show Low remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Navajo County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Show Low itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20212 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Navajo County
- 19921 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 Show Low after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Show Low archive →Show Low and its neighbors
Show Low has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. 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 |
| White Mountain Lake | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Wagon Wheel | C+more damage than 60% | wildfire | — |
| Linden | Cmore damage than 67% | wildfire | — |
| Pinetop-Lakeside | C−more damage than 83% | wildfire | 2 |
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 Show Low 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.
- Show Low residents get 05% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Show Low
Is Show Low at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Show Low has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #11 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%) and wildfire (36%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Show Low flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Show Low since 1992, $122K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Show Low 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 Show Low?
Show Low is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 9), which takes 05% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Show Low at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Show Low’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Show Low.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Show Low’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.