Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Fairbanks than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairbanks gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #11 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (83%), then river and rain flooding (15%). Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1978.
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 Fairbanks 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
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 Fairbanks’ grade
Earthquakes are 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairbanks, and Fairbanks’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 15% (lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #11 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Fairbanks’ residents live in 11 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, Fairbanks has less expected damage per building than 75% of Alaska towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $33.8M a year in losses across Fairbanks: $18.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fairbanks flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fairbanks, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Fairbanks 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fairbanks
Disasters that paid out in Fairbanks itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Fairbanks), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2002Earthquake41 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
- 2002Flooding$16K to the City of Fairbanks for repairs
- 1999Severe Winter Storms and Avalanches$182K to the City of Fairbanks for repairs
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 Fairbanks after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fairbanks archive →Fairbanks and its neighbors
Fairbanks has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 29 |
| College | C−more damage than 82% | earthquakes | 12 |
| Steele Creek | Dmore damage than 86% | wildfire | 1 |
| Badger | Dmore damage than 90% | earthquakes | 1 |
| 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 Fairbanks 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.
- 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 Fairbanks
Is Fairbanks at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairbanks has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #11 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (83%) and river and rain flooding (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Fairbanks flood?
Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Fairbanks since 1978, $108K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Fairbanks 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 Fairbanks?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fairbanks’ 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 Fairbanks?
By FEMA money that reached Fairbanks, Severe Winter Storms and Avalanches (1999): $182K to the City of Fairbanks for repairs.
Is Fairbanks at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Fairbanks’ rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairbanks.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fairbanks’ 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.