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Somerton-50,000-Gallon Water Tower- 1920sPhoto: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Somerton · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Somerton than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Somerton gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #70 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (57%), then river and rain flooding (42%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Earthquakes 57%River and rain flooding 42%

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 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#70 of 140 in Arizona
Hazard risk
C−#70 of 140
in Arizona · higher than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
57% 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 Somerton faces

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

Earthquakes

57%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

42%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Hail Wildfire Hurricanes Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWinter stormsIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 11% of Somerton’s 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 Somerton’s grade

Earthquakes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Somerton, and Somerton’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 42% (higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Somerton sits
Somerton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #70 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Somerton’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes57%River and rain flooding42%Everything else0%

The typical Arizona town has higher expected damage than 78% of U.S. towns; within the state, Somerton has less expected damage per building than 50% of Arizona towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.0M a year in losses across Somerton: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Somerton covers 5 census tracts, combined by where 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 Somerton flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Somerton. 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

Somerton 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 Somerton remembers

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

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SomertonYuma 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 Somerton 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 Somerton

Is Somerton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Somerton has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #70 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (57%) and river and rain flooding (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Somerton 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 Somerton?

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

Is Somerton at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Somerton’s rate for it is in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Somerton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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