Photo: Justin Morgan · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Wasilla than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wasilla gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #33 of 41 in Alaska. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (95%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2012.
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 Wasilla faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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. 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 Wasilla’s grade
Earthquakes are 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wasilla, and Wasilla’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #33 of 41 in Alaska; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wasilla’s residents live in 5 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, Wasilla has more expected damage per building than 80% of Alaska towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $19.7M a year in losses across Wasilla: $14.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wasilla flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2012
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wasilla, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Wasilla 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 Wasilla
Disasters that paid out in Wasilla itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Wasilla), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Severe Winter Storm and Straight-line Winds$706K to the City of Wasilla for repairs
- 2018Earthquake1,633 households applied for aid$3.6M aid approved
- 2003Severe Winter Storm, Including High Winds and Freezing Temperatures240 households applied for aid$215K aid approved$21K to the City of Wasilla for repairs
- 2002Earthquake1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
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 Wasilla after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wasilla archive →Wasilla and its neighbors
Wasilla is 6th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanaina | Dmore damage than 93% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Gateway | D−more damage than 95% | earthquakes | 1 |
| North Lakes | D−more damage than 95% | earthquakes | 1 |
| South Lakes | D−more damage than 96% | earthquakes | — |
| Knik-Fairview | D−more damage than 96% | earthquakes | — |
| Wasilla | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Meadow Lakes | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 5 |
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 Wasilla 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.
- 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 Wasilla
Is Wasilla at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wasilla has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #33 of 41 in Alaska. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wasilla flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Wasilla since 2012, $13K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Wasilla 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 Wasilla?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wasilla’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 Wasilla?
By FEMA money that reached Wasilla, Earthquake (2018): 1,633 households applied for aid, $3.6M approved.
Is Wasilla at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Wasilla’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wasilla.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wasilla’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.