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A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Wrangell · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wrangell gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 84%Earthquakes 8%Winter storms 5%

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
Hazard risk
A+
in Alaska · among the lowest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
84% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
10
of 1 declared for Wrangell City and Borough

What stands out about Wrangell’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Among the lowest expected damage of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Landslides: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 2.3% of the damage it expects.
By hazard

What Wrangell 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

84%of expected building damage
Well below average · among the lowest of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

8%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Winter storms Landslides top 2% Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Tornadoes Cold waves Avalanches top 0% Volcanic activity top 0%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesHailStrong windHeat wavesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts landslides at 18% of Wrangell’s expected losses. Landslides do little damage to buildings (2.3%), 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 Wrangell’s grade

River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wrangell, and Wrangell’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is among the lowest of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Wrangell sits
Wrangell
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding84%Earthquakes8%Winter storms5%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $172K a year in losses across Wrangell: $120K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Wrangell’s 2,127 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 Wrangell flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wrangell

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Helene$840K to the Borough of Wrangell for repairs
  2. 2024Tropical Storm Debby$336K to the Borough of Wrangell for repairs
  3. 2023Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides$845K to the Borough of Wrangell for repairs
  4. 2023Hurricane Idalia$168K to the Borough of Wrangell for repairs
  5. 2018Hurricane Michael$712K to the Borough of Wrangell for repairs
  6. 2018Severe Storms and Flooding$191K to the Borough of Wrangell for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2017Hurricane Irma$85K to the Borough of Wrangell for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$205K to the Borough of Wrangell for repairs
  3. 2004Tropical Storm Frances$41K to the Borough of Wrangell for repairs
  4. 27 households applied for aid$77K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WrangellWrangell City and Borough only

Wrangell City and Borough has had 1 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Wrangell archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Wrangell 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Wrangell

Is Wrangell at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wrangell has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and earthquakes (8%). 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 Wrangell 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.

How much is flood insurance in Wrangell?

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

By FEMA money that reached Wrangell, Severe Storm, Flooding, and Landslides (2023): $845K to the Borough of Wrangell for repairs.

Is Wrangell at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Wrangell’s rate for it is among the lowest of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wrangell.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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