Kodiak Naval Operating Base and Forts Greely and Abercrombie · Photo: U.S. Coast Guard, SPC Jeff Parks · Public domainMore hazard damage per building is expected in Mill Bay than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mill Bay gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #19 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (70%), then tsunamis (24%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Mill Bay faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
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 Mill Bay’s grade
Earthquakes are 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mill Bay, and Mill Bay’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 24%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #19 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Mill Bay’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Alaska town has higher expected damage than 93% of U.S. towns; within the state, Mill Bay has less expected damage per building than 55% of Alaska towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Mill Bay: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mill Bay flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mill Bay. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
The storms Mill Bay remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Kodiak Island Borough shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mill Bay itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Kodiak Island Borough has had 5 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Mill Bay and its neighbors
Mill Bay has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Bay | Dmore damage than 91% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Kodiak | Dmore damage than 95% | 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.
Get ready for what Mill 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- 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 Mill Bay
Is Mill Bay at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mill Bay has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #19 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (70%) and tsunamis (24%). 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 Mill 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.
How much is flood insurance in Mill Bay?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mill Bay’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Mill Bay at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Mill Bay’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mill Bay.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mill 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.