Natural hazards · Yuma

Yuma, AZ natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Yuma comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1989.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Yuma?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Yuma to be higher than in 70% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes64%Inland flooding29%Heat waves7%Everything else1%

By hazard

What Yuma faces

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

Earthquakes

64% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

29% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Recorded about 18 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDroughtVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Yuma flood?

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

23paid claims since 1989

$351Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19892026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. 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.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1flood-prone homes bought out and moved

Disasters that hit Yuma

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into YumaDeclared for Yuma County only

Yuma County has had 4 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

Around Yuma

Yuma and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Avenue B and Cmostly earthquakesVery high

Donovan Estatesmostly earthquakesVery high

Yumamostly earthquakesHigh

Fortuna Foothillsmostly inland floodingHigh

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. Yuma covers 26 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Yuma’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Yuma. 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 Yuma total about $41.9M 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.