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Dillingham Alaska aerial viewPhoto: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Dillingham · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Dillingham faces less hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dillingham gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (65%), then river and rain flooding (28%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Earthquakes 65%River and rain flooding 28%Wildfire 4%

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

less than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A+
in Alaska · lower than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
65% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 4 declared for its 2 counties
By hazard

What Dillingham faces

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

Earthquakes

65%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

28%of expected building damage
Well below average · among the lowest of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Winter storms top 3% Tsunamis top 1% Cold waves Tornadoes Ice storms Landslides Lightning Avalanches top 1% Volcanic activity top 3%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesHailStrong windHeat waves
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 78% of Dillingham’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.2%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Dillingham’s grade

Earthquakes are 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dillingham, and Dillingham’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Dillingham sits
Dillingham
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Dillingham’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes65%River and rain flooding28%Wildfire4%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Dillingham: $567K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Dillingham’s 2,249 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Dillingham flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Dillingham. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Dillingham

Disasters that paid out in Dillingham itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Dillingham), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 1999Severe Winter Storms and Avalanches$6K to the City of Dillingham for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Dillinghamits 2 counties only

Its 2 counties have had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

Old photos of Dillingham after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Dillingham archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Dillingham faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Dillingham

Is Dillingham at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dillingham has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (65%) and river and rain flooding (28%). 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.

Is Dillingham 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.

How much is flood insurance in Dillingham?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dillingham’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 Dillingham?

By FEMA money that reached Dillingham, Severe Winter Storms and Avalanches (1999): $6K to the City of Dillingham for repairs.

Is Dillingham at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Dillingham’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dillingham.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dillingham’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.