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Hooper BayPhoto: Thester11 · CC BY 3.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hooper Bay · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Hooper Bay than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by winter storms

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hooper Bay gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is winter storms (40%), then wildfire (28%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Winter storms 40%Wildfire 28%Earthquakes 28%

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

among the lowestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A+
in Alaska · among the lowest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Winter storms
40% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 1 declared for
By hazard

What Hooper Bay faces

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

Winter storms

40%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 28 times a year in the area

Wildfire

28%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

28%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Cold waves Ice storms Lightning Landslides Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
River and rain floodingCoastal floodingHurricanesHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 98% of Hooper Bay’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (2.0%), 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, winter storms is FEMA’s “Winter Weather” (snow, sleet and freezing rain). 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.

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

What’s behind Hooper Bay’s grade

Winter storms are 40% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hooper Bay, and Hooper Bay’s rate of winter storms damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Cold waves add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hooper Bay sits
Hooper Bay
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Winter storms40%Wildfire28%Earthquakes28%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Hooper Bay: $11K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides in 2022, FEMA took 118 aid registrations from Hooper Bay addresses (the town has 226 homes).
Shared tract.All of Hooper Bay’s 1,375 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Chevak city (951 residents) and Emmonak city (825 residents) and Alakanuk city (756 residents) and Kotlik city (655 residents) and Mountain Village city (621 residents) and Pilot Station city (615 residents) and Scammon Bay city (600 residents) and St. Mary's city (599 residents) and Marshall city (492 residents) and Russian Mission city (421 residents) and Nunam Iqua city (217 residents) and Pitkas Point CDP (120 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 Hooper Bay flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hooper Bay. 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

Hooper Bay 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.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hooper Bay

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Flooding, and Remnants of Typhoon Halong52 households applied for aid$486K aid approved
  2. 2022Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides118 households applied for aid$801K aid approved$22.1M to the City of Hooper Bay for repairs
  3. 2006Fire$247K to the City of Hooper Bay for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Winter Storm, Tidal Surges and Flooding$32K to the City of Hooper Bay for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Hooper Bay only

has had 1 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hooper Bay archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hooper Bay faces

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

Winter storms
  • Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
  • Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
  • Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Hooper Bay

Is Hooper Bay at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hooper Bay has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is winter storms (40%) and wildfire (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 Hooper Bay 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, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Hooper Bay?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hooper Bay, Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides (2022): 118 households applied for aid, $801K approved, and $22.1M to the City of Hooper Bay for repairs.

Is Hooper Bay at risk from winter storms?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (40%), and Hooper Bay’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hooper Bay.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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