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Fort William H. SewardFort William H. Seward · Photo: Mike Quach · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Haines · FEMA

FEMA puts Haines’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Haines gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (59%), then river and rain flooding (22%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Earthquakes 59%River and rain flooding 22%Tsunamis 14%

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 81%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 81% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
59% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 1 declared for Haines Borough

What stands out about Haines’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 81% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 1.2% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Haines faces

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

Earthquakes

59%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

22%of expected building damage
Well below average · among the lowest of U.S. census tracts

Tsunamis

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Winter storms top 1% Landslides top 1% Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Tornadoes Lightning Avalanches top 0% Volcanic activity
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 avalanches at 56% of Haines’ expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Haines’ grade

Earthquakes are 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Haines, and Haines’ rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 14%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Haines sits
Haines
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes59%River and rain flooding22%Tsunamis14%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Haines: $641K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Haines’ 1,657 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Mud Bay CDP (159 residents) and Mosquito Lake CDP (120 residents) and Excursion Inlet CDP (40 residents) and Lutak CDP (29 residents) and Covenant Life CDP (25 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Haines flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Haines isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Haines Borough.
Disasters

The storms Haines remembers

None of the 1 disasters declared for Haines Borough shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Haines itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HainesHaines Borough only

Haines Borough has had 1 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms.

Next door

Haines and its neighbors

Haines has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lutak: not gradedMud Bay: not gradedLutakMud BayHaines
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HainesA−less damage than 81%earthquakes0
Lutak—24 residents; we grade 1,000+
Mud Bay—79 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Haines 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 ↗
Tsunamis
  • 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.
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 Haines

Is Haines at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Haines has lower expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (59%) and river and rain flooding (22%). 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 Haines 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 Haines Borough, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Haines?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Haines’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Haines at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Haines’ rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Haines.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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