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Nome Alaska (1)Photo: Sir Mildred Pierce, from North Augusta, South Carolina, USA · CC BY 2.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Nome · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Nome, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nome gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #7 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (55%), then river and rain flooding (40%). Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1992.

Earthquakes 55%River and rain flooding 40%Winter storms 4%

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#7 of 41 in Alaska
Hazard risk
A+#7 of 41
in Alaska · among the lowest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
20
paid since 1992 · $1.4M
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Flood insurance
10% off
Community discount (class 8)

What stands out about Nome’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Among the lowest expected damage of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.10% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Nome residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8).Remembers 20048 flood claims were paid for 2004 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Nome faces

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

Earthquakes

55%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

40%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 99% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Winter storms top 1% Cold waves Ice storms Wildfire Tornadoes Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 4%
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 55% of Nome’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.3%), 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). 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 Nome’s grade

Earthquakes are 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Nome, and Nome’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Nome sits
Nome
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #7 of 41 in Alaska; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes55%River and rain flooding40%Winter storms4%Everything else1%

The typical Alaska town has higher expected damage than 93% of U.S. towns; within the state, Nome has less expected damage per building than 85% of Alaska towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Nome: $559K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides in 2022, FEMA took 135 aid registrations from Nome addresses (the town has 1,514 homes).
Shared tract.All of Nome’s 3,699 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 Nome flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1992

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Nome, from FEMA’s records: 13.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1992: 3 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 8 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: 8 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199220042022
19922026
20
paid claims since 1992
$1.4M
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$69K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
Community discount10% off flood insurance

Nome is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Nome Census Area.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Nome

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

  1. 2022Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides135 households applied for aid$597K aid approved$10.7M to the City of Nome for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$2.9M to the City of Nome for repairs
  3. 2005Severe Fall Storm, Tidal Surges, and Flooding$20K to the City of Nome for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Winter Storm, Tidal Surges and Flooding$2.9M to the City of Nome for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Nomeits 2 counties only

Its 2 counties have had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Nome archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Nome 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 ↗
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 ↗
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.
  • Nome residents get 10% off flood insurance.
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 Nome

Is Nome at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nome has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #7 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (55%) and river and rain flooding (40%). 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 Nome flood?

Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Nome since 1992, $1.4M in all, or 13.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Nome 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 Nome Census Area, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Nome?

Nome is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Nome?

By FEMA money that reached Nome, Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides (2022): 135 households applied for aid, $597K approved, and $10.7M to the City of Nome for repairs.

Is Nome at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Nome’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nome.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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