Photo: Forest Service Alaska Region, USDA · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Cordova faces more hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cordova gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (77%), then river and rain flooding (11%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2006.
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 Cordova’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Cordova 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
Tsunamis
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 Cordova’s grade
Earthquakes are 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cordova, and Cordova’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 11%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Cordova’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.3M a year in losses across Cordova: $872K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cordova flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cordova, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Cordova isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: the county.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cordova
Disasters that paid out in Cordova itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Cordova), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$128K to the City of Cordova for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$2K to the City of Cordova for repairs
- 1999Severe Winter Storms and Avalanches$167K to the City of Cordova for repairs
Old photos of Cordova after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cordova archive →Get ready for what Cordova 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.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- 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 Cordova
Is Cordova at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cordova has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (77%) and river and rain flooding (11%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cordova flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Cordova since 2006, $65K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Cordova 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 the county, 1.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Cordova?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cordova’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Cordova?
By FEMA money that reached Cordova, Severe Winter Storms and Avalanches (1999): $167K to the City of Cordova for repairs.
Is Cordova at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Cordova’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cordova.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cordova’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.