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Barrow AlaskaPhoto: Andrei from New York City/Juneau, U.S.A. · CC BY 2.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Utqiaġvik · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Utqiaġvik, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Utqiaġvik gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #1 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 87%Winter storms 9%Cold waves 2%

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#1 of 41 in Alaska
Hazard risk
A+#1 of 41
in Alaska · among the lowest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 6 declared for North Slope Borough
By hazard

What Utqiaġvik faces

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

River and rain flooding

87%of expected building damage
Well below average · among the lowest of U.S. census tracts

Winter storms

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 17 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Cold waves top 2% Earthquakes Ice storms Wildfire Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesTornadoesHailStrong windHeat wavesLightningAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 86% of Utqiaġvik’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (1.8%), 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); winter storms is FEMA’s “Winter Weather” (snow, sleet and freezing rain). 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 Utqiaġvik’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Utqiaġvik, and Utqiaġvik’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is among the lowest of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 9%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Utqiaġvik sits
Utqiaġvik
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #1 of 41 in Alaska; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Winter storms9%Everything else4%

The typical Alaska town has higher expected damage than 93% of U.S. towns; within the state, Utqiaġvik has less expected damage per building than 100% of Alaska towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Utqiaġvik: $155K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Utqiaġvik’s 4,927 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 Utqiaġvik flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Utqiaġvik isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: North Slope Borough.
Disasters

The storms Utqiaġvik remembers

None of the 6 disasters declared for North Slope Borough shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Utqiaġvik itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in UtqiaġvikNorth Slope Borough only

North Slope Borough has had 6 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Be ready

Get ready for what Utqiaġvik faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
Winter storms
  • Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
  • Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
  • Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
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 Utqiaġvik

Is Utqiaġvik at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Utqiaġvik has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #1 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and winter storms (9%). 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 Utqiaġvik 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 North Slope Borough, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Utqiaġvik?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Utqiaġvik’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Utqiaġvik at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Utqiaġvik’s rate for it is among the lowest of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Utqiaġvik.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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