Photo: Cbl62 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Yuma than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Yuma gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #66 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (59%), then river and rain flooding (41%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1989.
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 Yuma’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Yuma faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Yuma’s grade
Earthquakes are 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Yuma, and Yuma’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 41% (higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #66 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Yuma’s residents live in 36 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, Yuma has less expected damage per building than 53% of Arizona towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Yuma has higher expected damage per building than 69% (#277 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $45.9M, is the 267th largest of those 400.
Does Yuma flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Yuma, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Yuma 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.The storms Yuma remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Yuma County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Yuma itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198911 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20024 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19933 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Yuma County
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.
Old photos of Yuma after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Yuma archive →Yuma and its neighbors
Yuma is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortuna Foothills | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Yuma | C−more damage than 76% | earthquakes | 23 |
| Avenue B and C | Dmore damage than 88% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Donovan Estates | — | 507 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Yuma faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Yuma
Is Yuma at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Yuma has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #66 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (59%) and river and rain flooding (41%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Yuma flood?
Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Yuma since 1989, $351K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Yuma 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 Yuma?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Yuma’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Yuma at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Yuma’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Yuma.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Yuma’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.