Photo: RadioKAOS · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Badger than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Badger gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #16 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (65%), then wildfire (23%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2014.
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 Badger faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Wildfire
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 Badger’s grade
Earthquakes are 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Badger, and Badger’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 23%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D #16 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Badger’s residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Alaska town has higher expected damage than 93% of U.S. towns; within the state, Badger has less expected damage per building than 62% of Alaska towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $17.8M a year in losses across Badger: $10.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Badger flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2014
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Badger, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Badger isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fairbanks North Star Borough.The storms Badger remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Fairbanks North Star Borough shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Badger itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20141 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Fairbanks North Star Borough has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms.
Also 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Fairbanks North Star Borough, 2004–2025.
Old photos of Badger after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Badger archive →Badger and its neighbors
Badger is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 29 |
| Steele Creek | Dmore damage than 86% | wildfire | 1 |
| North Pole | Dmore damage than 87% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Badger | Dmore damage than 90% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Moose Creek | — | 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 Badger 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.
- 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.
- 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 Badger
Is Badger at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Badger has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #16 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (65%) and wildfire (23%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Badger flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Badger since 2014, $12K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Badger 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Badger?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Badger’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Badger at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Badger’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Badger.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Badger’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.