Photo: Beeblebrox · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Nikiski than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nikiski 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 (91%). 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 Nikiski faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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.
What’s behind Nikiski’s grade
Earthquakes are 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Nikiski, and Nikiski’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #36 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Nikiski’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, Nikiski has more expected damage per building than 88% of Alaska towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $17.3M a year in losses across Nikiski: $7.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Nikiski flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Nikiski. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Nikiski 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Nikiski
Disasters that paid out in Nikiski itself (aid to households or repair grants to Nikiski), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Earthquake17 households applied for aid$61K aid approved
- 2003Severe Winter Storm, Including High Winds and Freezing Temperatures23 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
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.
Old photos of Nikiski after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Nikiski archive →Nikiski and its neighbors
Nikiski is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salamatof | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | — |
| Nikiski | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Point Possession | — | 0 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.
Get ready for what Nikiski 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.
- 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 Nikiski
Is Nikiski at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nikiski 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 (91%). 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 Nikiski 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 Nikiski?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Nikiski’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 Nikiski?
By FEMA money that reached Nikiski, Earthquake (2018): 17 households applied for aid, $61K approved.
Is Nikiski at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Nikiski’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nikiski.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Nikiski’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.