Photo: United States Air Force · Public domainEielson AFB’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eielson AFB gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #8 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (48%), then earthquakes (31%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Eielson AFB faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
Earthquakes
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 Eielson AFB’s grade
Wildfire is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Eielson AFB, and Eielson AFB’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #8 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Eielson AFB’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Alaska town has higher expected damage than 93% of U.S. towns; within the state, Eielson AFB has less expected damage per building than 82% of Alaska towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Eielson AFB: $891K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Eielson AFB flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Eielson AFB. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Eielson AFB 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 Eielson AFB remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Fairbanks North Star Borough shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Eielson AFB itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Eielson AFB and its neighbors
Eielson AFB has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eielson AFB | C+more damage than 61% | wildfire | 0 |
| Salcha | — | 829 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| 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 Eielson AFB faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Eielson AFB
Is Eielson AFB at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eielson AFB has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #8 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (48%) and earthquakes (31%). 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 Eielson AFB 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 Eielson AFB?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Eielson AFB’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Eielson AFB at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Eielson AFB’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Eielson AFB.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Eielson AFB’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.