Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Skwentna

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Skwentna · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Skwentna

Skwentna isn’t graded for hazard risk: Skwentna has 97 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 14 declared for Matanuska-Susitna Borough
By hazard

What Skwentna faces

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

Earthquakes

73%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

10%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 97% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Landslides top 0% Winter storms top 3% Cold waves top 4% Tornadoes Hail Ice storms Lightning Avalanches top 0% Volcanic activity top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesStrong windHeat wavesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 84% of Skwentna’s expected losses. Avalanches do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Skwentna flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Skwentna. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Skwentna 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.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Skwentna

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

  1. 2018Earthquake1 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  2. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Including High Winds and Freezing Temperatures1 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SkwentnaMatanuska-Susitna Borough only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Skwentna archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Skwentna 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
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.
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 Skwentna

Is Skwentna 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 Skwentna?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Skwentna’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 Skwentna?

By FEMA money that reached Skwentna, Severe Winter Storm, Including High Winds and Freezing Temperatures (2003): 1 households applied for aid, $25K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Skwentna.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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