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Hope Alaska CafePhoto: James Brooks · CC BY 2.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Hope · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Hope

Hope isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Hope yet.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 14 declared for Kenai Peninsula Borough
By hazard

What Hope faces

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

Earthquakes

81%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

13%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tsunamis top 0% Avalanches top 0% Wildfire Winter storms Tornadoes Hail Ice storms Cold waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 3%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesStrong windHeat waves
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 88% of Hope’s expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.8%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Hope flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Kenai Peninsula Borough.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hope

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

  1. 2018Earthquake3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  2. 2002Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Coastal Erosion and Tidal Surge1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HopeKenai Peninsula Borough only

Kenai Peninsula Borough has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Kenai Peninsula Borough, 2007–2015.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hope archive →
Next door

Hope and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Sunrise: not gradedSunriseHope
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Sunrise—23 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 Hope 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 Hope

Is Hope 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 Kenai Peninsula Borough, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hope?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hope, Earthquake (2018): 3 households applied for aid, $4K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hope.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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