Natural hazards · Sun Lakes

Sun Lakes, AZ natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sun Lakes comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2014.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Sun Lakes?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sun Lakes to be higher than in 64% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and heat waves.

Inland flooding73%Heat waves24%Everything else3%

By hazard

What Sun Lakes faces

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

Inland flooding

73% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Heat waves

24% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about 23 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingIce stormsCold wavesLandslidesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Sun Lakes flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sun Lakes, from FEMA’s records.

1paid claims since 2014

$7Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20142026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Sun Lakes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Maricopa County.

Disasters that hit Sun Lakes

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Maricopa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sun Lakes itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Sun LakesDeclared for Maricopa County only

Maricopa County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and floods.

Around Sun Lakes

Sun Lakes and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Goodyear Villagemostly inland floodingVery high

Sun Lakesmostly inland floodingHigh

Chandlermostly heat wavesModerate

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’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 here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Sun Lakes covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Sun Lakes’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Sun Lakes. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Sun Lakes total about $12.8M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.