Murray Springs Clovis Site · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0For wildfire, Sierra Vista’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sierra Vista gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #37 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then wildfire (16%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1987.
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 Sierra Vista 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 Sierra Vista’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sierra Vista, and Sierra Vista’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 16%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #37 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sierra Vista’s residents live in 13 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, Sierra Vista has less expected damage per building than 74% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $21.6M a year in losses across Sierra Vista: $11.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sierra Vista flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1987
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sierra Vista, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sierra Vista isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cochise County.The storms Sierra Vista remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Cochise County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sierra Vista itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19871 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19991 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, High Winds, declared for Cochise County
- 20101 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cochise County has had 6 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. 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 Cochise County, 2003–2017.
Old photos of Sierra Vista after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sierra Vista archive →Sierra Vista and its neighbors
Sierra Vista has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Vista | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Sierra Vista Southeast | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Huachuca City | Dmore damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Whetstone | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Sierra Vista 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 Sierra Vista
Is Sierra Vista at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sierra Vista has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #37 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and wildfire (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sierra Vista flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Sierra Vista since 1987, $17K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sierra Vista 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 Cochise County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sierra Vista?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sierra Vista’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sierra Vista at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Sierra Vista’s rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sierra Vista.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sierra Vista’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.