Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Waltraux~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domainFor tornadoes, Wray’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wray gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then tornadoes (21%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2020.
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 Wray 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
Tornadoes
Hail
Strong wind
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 Wray’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wray, and Wray’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 21%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Wray’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Wray: $824K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wray flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2020
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wray, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Wray 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 Wray remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Yuma County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wray itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20202 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Yuma County has had 4 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.
Old photos of Wray after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wray archive →Get ready for what Wray 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Wray
Is Wray at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wray has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and tornadoes (21%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wray flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Wray since 2020, $137K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Wray 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, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Wray?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wray’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Wray at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Wray’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wray.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wray’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.