FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Meadow Lakes than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Meadow Lakes gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #35 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (87%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2006.
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
What Meadow Lakes faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
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.
What’s behind Meadow Lakes’ grade
Earthquakes are 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Meadow Lakes, and Meadow Lakes’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 7%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #35 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Meadow Lakes’ residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Alaska town has higher expected damage than 93% of U.S. towns; within the state, Meadow Lakes has more expected damage per building than 85% of Alaska towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.1M a year in losses across Meadow Lakes: $9.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Meadow Lakes flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Meadow Lakes, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Meadow Lakes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Matanuska-Susitna Borough.The storms Meadow Lakes remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Matanuska-Susitna Borough shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Meadow Lakes itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20063 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- 20121 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides, declared for Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- 20241 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Matanuska-Susitna 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 Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 2015–2019.
Old photos of Meadow Lakes after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Meadow Lakes archive →Meadow Lakes and its neighbors
Meadow Lakes is 5th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanaina | Dmore damage than 93% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Willow | D−more damage than 96% | earthquakes | 11 |
| Knik-Fairview | D−more damage than 96% | earthquakes | — |
| Wasilla | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Meadow Lakes | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 5 |
| Big Lake | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Houston | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 4 |
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.
Get ready for what Meadow Lakes faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Meadow Lakes
Is Meadow Lakes at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Meadow Lakes has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #35 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (87%) and wildfire (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Meadow Lakes flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Meadow Lakes since 2006, $53K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Meadow Lakes 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 Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Meadow Lakes?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Meadow Lakes’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Meadow Lakes at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Meadow Lakes’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Meadow Lakes.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Meadow Lakes’ 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.