Constitution Hall · Photo: Durkeeco · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in College than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, College gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #12 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (75%), then river and rain flooding (14%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1980.
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 College faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
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 College’s grade
Earthquakes are 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in College, and College’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 10%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #12 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
College’s residents live in 5 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, College has less expected damage per building than 72% of Alaska towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.6M a year in losses across College: $9.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does College flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in College, from FEMA’s records: 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
College 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 College remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Fairbanks North Star Borough shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching College itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19853 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19862 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19912 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 College after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the College archive →College and its neighbors
College is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmers Loop | Cmore damage than 74% | earthquakes | — |
| Fairbanks | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 29 |
| College | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 12 |
| Chena Ridge | C−more damage than 85% | earthquakes | 42 |
| Goldstream | Dmore damage than 92% | wildfire | — |
| 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 College 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.
- 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.
- 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 College
Is College at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, College has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #12 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (75%) and river and rain flooding (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does College flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in College since 1980, $116K in all, or 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is College 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 College?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for College’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is College at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and College’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in College.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where College’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.