Chino Valley’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chino Valley comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1995. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Chino Valley’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Chino Valley?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 44% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 384 of the 467 Arizona towns we cover.
Chino Valley covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
What Chino Valley faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Wildfire
Lightning
Heat waves
Earthquakes
Does Chino Valley flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chino Valley, from FEMA’s records.
Chino Valley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Yavapai County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Chino Valley
Disasters that paid out in Chino Valley itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Chino Valley) and its biggest flood years.
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the Town of Chino Valley for repairs
Yavapai County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.
Old photos of Chino Valley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chino Valley archive →Get ready for what Chino Valley actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- When thunder roars, go indoors.
- Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder.
- Unplug electronics before the storm.
- 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.
Chino Valley and its neighbors
How storm and flood risk compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paulden | High | inland flooding | 0 |
| Chino Valley | Moderate | inland flooding | 4 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in April–June
The month each of Yavapai County’s 24 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Chino Valley’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Chino Valley.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Chino Valley, expected losses total about $1.5M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chino Valley.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Weather alerts: National Weather Service. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.