Photo: Land Design North · Public domainFEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Palmer than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palmer gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #25 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (93%). 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 Palmer faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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 Palmer’s grade
Earthquakes are 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Palmer, and Palmer’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 6% (lower than 98% of U.S. census tracts).
D #25 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Palmer’s residents live in 3 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, Palmer has more expected damage per building than 60% of Alaska towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.6M a year in losses across Palmer: $6.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Palmer flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Palmer. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Palmer 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.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Palmer
Disasters that paid out in Palmer itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Palmer), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storm$29K to the City of Palmer for repairs
- 2022Severe Winter Storm and Straight-line Winds$497K to the City of Palmer for repairs
- 2018Earthquake570 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved
- 2003Severe Winter Storm, Including High Winds and Freezing Temperatures182 households applied for aid$203K aid approved$15K to the City of Palmer for repairs
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 Palmer after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Palmer archive →Palmer and its neighbors
Palmer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farm Loop | Dmore damage than 93% | earthquakes | — |
| Palmer | Dmore damage than 95% | earthquakes | 0 |
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 Palmer 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.
- 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 Palmer
Is Palmer at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Palmer has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #25 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (93%) and river and rain flooding (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Palmer 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 Palmer?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Palmer’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 Palmer?
By FEMA money that reached Palmer, Earthquake (2018): 570 households applied for aid, $1.4M approved.
Is Palmer at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Palmer’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Palmer.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Palmer’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.