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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kenai · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Kenai faces more hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kenai gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #36 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (92%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1995.

Earthquakes 92%River and rain flooding 5%Wildfire 3%

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

more than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#36 of 41 in Alaska
Hazard risk
D−#36 of 41
in Alaska · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1995 · $1K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 14 declared for Kenai Peninsula Borough
By hazard

What Kenai faces

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

Earthquakes

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 River and rain flooding Wildfire Winter storms Coastal flooding Hail Ice storms Cold waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 0%
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesTornadoesStrong windHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamis

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. 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 Kenai’s grade

Earthquakes are 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kenai, and Kenai’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 3%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Kenai sits
Kenai
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #36 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes92%River and rain flooding5%Everything else3%

The typical Alaska town has higher expected damage than 93% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kenai has more expected damage per building than 88% of Alaska towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.0M a year in losses across Kenai: $9.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kenai’s 7,424 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Kenai flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1995

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kenai, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1995
19952026
1
paid claims since 1995
$1K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$1K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Kenai 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

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kenai

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

  1. 2018Earthquake54 households applied for aid$125K aid approved
  2. 2013Flooding$109K to the City of Kenai for repairs
  3. 2011Severe Storm$27K to the City of Kenai for repairs
  4. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Including High Winds and Freezing Temperatures29 households applied for aid$28K aid approved
  5. 1999Severe Winter Storms and Avalanches$29K to the City of Kenai for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KenaiKenai 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 Kenai after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Kenai archive →
Next door

Kenai and its neighbors

Kenai is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Kalifornsky: hazard risk D−Ridgeway: hazard risk D−Salamatof: hazard risk D−KalifornskyRidgewaySalamatofKenai
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RidgewayD−more damage than 97%earthquakes4
SalamatofD−more damage than 98%earthquakes—
KenaiD−more damage than 98%earthquakes1
KalifornskyD−more damage than 98%earthquakes—

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 Kenai 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 ↗
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 Kenai

Is Kenai at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kenai has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #36 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (92%). 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.

Does Kenai flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Kenai since 1995, $1K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Kenai 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 Kenai?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kenai, Earthquake (2018): 54 households applied for aid, $125K approved.

Is Kenai at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Kenai’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kenai.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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