Charles S. Todd House · Photo: Tdw1203 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Tanque Verde’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tanque Verde gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #127 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%), then wildfire (14%). Flood insurance has paid 60 claims here since 1978.
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 Tanque Verde’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Tanque Verde 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 Tanque Verde’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tanque Verde, and Tanque Verde’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 14%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #127 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tanque Verde’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, Tanque Verde has more expected damage per building than 91% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $19.8M a year in losses across Tanque Verde: $17.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tanque Verde flood? Sometimes: 60 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tanque Verde, from FEMA’s records: 8.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Tanque Verde isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pima County.The storms Tanque Verde remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Pima County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Tanque Verde itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198316 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Pima County
- 201014 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 199311 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Pima County
Pima 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.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pima County, 2003–2020.
Old photos of Tanque Verde after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tanque Verde archive →Tanque Verde and its neighbors
Tanque Verde is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 120 |
| Catalina Foothills | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Tanque Verde | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 60 |
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 Tanque Verde 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 Tanque Verde
Is Tanque Verde at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tanque Verde has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #127 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and wildfire (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Tanque Verde flood?
Flood insurance has paid 60 claims in Tanque Verde since 1978, $1.6M in all, or 8.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Tanque Verde 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 Pima County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tanque Verde?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tanque Verde’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Tanque Verde at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Tanque Verde’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tanque Verde.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tanque Verde’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.