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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sterling · FEMA

FEMA puts Sterling’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sterling gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #31 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (55%), then wildfire (35%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Earthquakes 55%Wildfire 35%River and rain flooding 10%

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

more than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#31 of 41 in Alaska
Hazard risk
D−#31 of 41
in Alaska · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 14 declared for Kenai Peninsula Borough
By hazard

What Sterling 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 · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

35%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

10%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Winter storms Tornadoes Hail Ice storms Cold waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesStrong windHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 48% of Sterling’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Sterling’s grade

Earthquakes are 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sterling, and Sterling’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 35%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sterling sits
Sterling
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #31 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes55%Wildfire35%River and rain flooding10%

The typical Alaska town has higher expected damage than 93% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sterling has more expected damage per building than 75% of Alaska towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $17.5M a year in losses across Sterling: $8.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Sterling’s 5,918 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Funny River CDP (1,103 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Sterling flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sterling. 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

Sterling 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.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sterling

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

  1. 2018Earthquake19 households applied for aid$77K aid approved
  2. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Including High Winds and Freezing Temperatures4 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SterlingKenai Peninsula Borough only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Sterling archive →
Next door

Sterling and its neighbors

Sterling is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Funny River: hazard risk D−Ridgeway: hazard risk D−Soldotna: hazard risk D−Funny RiverRidgewaySoldotnaSterling
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Funny RiverD−more damage than 96%earthquakes—
SterlingD−more damage than 96%earthquakes0
RidgewayD−more damage than 97%earthquakes4
SoldotnaD−more damage than 97%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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Sterling 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 Sterling

Is Sterling at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sterling has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #31 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (55%) and wildfire (35%). 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 Sterling 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 Sterling?

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

By FEMA money that reached Sterling, Earthquake (2018): 19 households applied for aid, $77K approved.

Is Sterling at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Sterling’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sterling.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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