Photo: RadioKAOS · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Chena Ridge faces more hazard damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chena Ridge gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #13 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (56%), then wildfire (25%). Flood insurance has paid 42 claims here since 1991.
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 stands out about Chena Ridge’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Chena Ridge 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 Chena Ridge’s grade
Earthquakes are 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chena Ridge, and Chena Ridge’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 25%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #13 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Chena Ridge’s residents live in 3 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, Chena Ridge has less expected damage per building than 70% of Alaska towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.8M a year in losses across Chena Ridge: $3.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chena Ridge flood? Sometimes: 42 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chena Ridge, from FEMA’s records: 15.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Chena Ridge 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 Chena Ridge remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Fairbanks North Star Borough shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Chena Ridge itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200821 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Fairbanks North Star Borough
- 20209 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19915 flood claims paidThe year of Heavy Snow, Ice Jams and Flooding, declared for Fairbanks North Star Borough
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 Chena Ridge after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chena Ridge archive →Chena Ridge and its neighbors
Chena Ridge is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| College | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 12 |
| Chena Ridge | C−more damage than 85% | earthquakes | 42 |
| Ester | Dmore damage than 93% | wildfire | — |
| South Van Horn | — | 572 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 Chena Ridge 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 Chena Ridge
Is Chena Ridge at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chena Ridge has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #13 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (56%) and wildfire (25%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Chena Ridge flood?
Flood insurance has paid 42 claims in Chena Ridge since 1991, $945K in all, or 15.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Chena Ridge 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 Chena Ridge?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chena Ridge’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Chena Ridge at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Chena Ridge’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chena Ridge.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chena Ridge’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.