Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Kotzebue

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Aerial view of Kotzebue 2013Photo: Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn Eggert · Public domain
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kotzebue · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Kotzebue than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kotzebue gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #4 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%), then earthquakes (45%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 49%Earthquakes 45%Winter storms 5%

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#4 of 41 in Alaska
Hazard risk
A+#4 of 41
in Alaska · among the lowest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
49% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2011 · $97K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 5 declared for Northwest Arctic Borough
By hazard

What Kotzebue faces

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

River and rain flooding

49%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 99% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

45%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts

Winter storms

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 19 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Cold waves top 2% Ice storms Wildfire Tornadoes Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesHailStrong windHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 91% of Kotzebue’s expected losses. Cold waves 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); 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.

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 Kotzebue’s grade

River and rain flooding is 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kotzebue, and Kotzebue’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 99% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Kotzebue sits
Kotzebue
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #4 of 41 in Alaska; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding49%Earthquakes45%Winter storms5%Everything else1%

The typical Alaska town has higher expected damage than 93% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kotzebue has less expected damage per building than 92% of Alaska towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Kotzebue: $246K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kotzebue’s 3,102 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 Kotzebue flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kotzebue, from FEMA’s records: 7.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 4 claims2025: 2 claims2026: 0 claims201120242025
20112026
7
paid claims since 2011
$97K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Northwest Arctic Borough.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kotzebue

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Flooding, and Remnants of Typhoon Halong32 households applied for aid$646K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2024Severe Storm and Flooding$752K to the City of Kotzebue for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2004Severe Winter Storm, Tidal Surges and Flooding$40K to the City of Kotzebue for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KotzebueNorthwest Arctic Borough only

Northwest Arctic Borough has had 5 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Kotzebue archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Kotzebue faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Kotzebue

Is Kotzebue at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kotzebue has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #4 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%) and earthquakes (45%). 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 Kotzebue flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Kotzebue since 2011, $97K in all, or 7.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Kotzebue 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 Northwest Arctic Borough, 1.5% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Kotzebue?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kotzebue, Severe Storm and Flooding (2024): $752K to the City of Kotzebue for repairs.

Is Kotzebue at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Kotzebue’s rate for it is lower than 99% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kotzebue.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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