FEMA declarations
94
Above median
State profile · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Alaska Natural Disasters
Alaska's federal declaration record sits near the middle of the state distribution. 94 FEMA disaster declarations are on record, led by fire, with $147.2M in combined property and crop damage. A moderate count like this can still mask a single catastrophic year rather than a steady annual pattern. NOAA storm event data shows 2,683 recorded weather events resulting in 33 fatalities, a toll that informs where the state directs disaster-preparedness resources.
- 94
- FEMA declarations
- 2,683
- NOAA storm events
- 33
- Storm fatalities
- $147.2M
- Property + crop damage
The Alaska risk picture
1 of Alaska's 28 counties and county-equivalents, 4%, carry a FEMA "high-risk" National Risk Index rating, with earthquake the single largest driver of expected annual loss statewide. Alaska has 66 Major Disaster (DR) declarations; FEMA authorizes Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both separately for each declaration. NOAA-tracked storms have caused 23 injuries statewide.
- 4%
- of counties and county-equivalents rated high-risk by FEMA National Risk Index
- 94
- FEMA disaster declarations on record
- $147.2M
- in tracked property + crop damage
- 777
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed statewide
FEMA's National Risk Index and NOAA's Storm Events Database measure different things: modeled long-run risk vs. observed severe-weather events. Storm Events is a reported dataset, so its counts track what was observed and logged, not every event that occurred, and reporting is denser where more people live. See the methodology for how they relate.
Major Disaster share
70%
Major-heavy
NOAA storm events
2,683
Observed severe-weather records
How does Alaska compare?
Alaska vs. every U.S. state
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
94 Top 34% higher than 66% of 59 states and territories
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states and territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-03
Do more storms mean more federal disasters?
Alaska sits at the 64th percentile of FEMA declaration volume and the 15th percentile of NOAA storm-event volume among 55 states and territories, those two ranks are not interchangeable.
FEMA declaration rank vs NOAA storm-event rank
Read the chart, every state as text
Percentiles are within this release's state/territory sample. Raw counts are the underlying FEMA and NOAA totals.
| State | FEMA decls | FEMA %ile | NOAA storms | NOAA %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 396 | 98 | 23,694 | 93 |
| Texas | 389 | 96 | 53,309 | 98 |
| Oklahoma | 258 | 95 | 23,896 | 95 |
| Washington | 215 | 93 | 4,408 | 22 |
| Florida | 188 | 91 | 12,838 | 55 |
| Oregon | 169 | 89 | 3,695 | 20 |
| New Mexico | 126 | 87 | 10,974 | 45 |
| Arizona | 120 | 85 | 9,541 | 38 |
| New York | 118 | 84 | 21,653 | 82 |
| Montana | 112 | 82 | 13,576 | 56 |
| Colorado | 111 | 78 | 18,340 | 73 |
| Louisiana | 111 | 78 | 11,204 | 47 |
| Nevada | 110 | 76 | 4,534 | 24 |
| Alabama | 102 | 75 | 14,583 | 64 |
| Kentucky | 98 | 71 | 19,947 | 78 |
| Mississippi | 98 | 71 | 14,100 | 62 |
| Tennessee | 97 | 69 | 16,645 | 69 |
| South Dakota | 96 | 67 | 22,759 | 87 |
| Alaska | 94 | 64 | 2,683 | 15 |
| Kansas | 94 | 64 | 25,115 | 96 |
| Arkansas | 87 | 60 | 13,637 | 58 |
| Nebraska | 87 | 60 | 20,136 | 80 |
| Missouri | 86 | 58 | 22,952 | 89 |
| North Carolina | 85 | 56 | 16,367 | 67 |
| West Virginia | 84 | 55 | 12,026 | 49 |
| Georgia | 81 | 51 | 16,676 | 71 |
| Minnesota | 81 | 51 | 19,109 | 75 |
| Iowa | 78 | 49 | 21,883 | 84 |
| Virginia | 77 | 47 | 23,584 | 91 |
| North Dakota | 75 | 45 | 10,818 | 44 |
| Hawaii | 72 | 44 | 6,200 | 31 |
| Maine | 71 | 42 | 4,781 | 27 |
| Illinois | 68 | 40 | 22,088 | 85 |
| Pennsylvania | 64 | 38 | 19,427 | 76 |
| New Hampshire | 63 | 36 | 2,547 | 11 |
| Vermont | 62 | 35 | 3,449 | 18 |
| Idaho | 60 | 31 | 5,142 | 29 |
| Ohio | 60 | 31 | 16,184 | 65 |
| Massachusetts | 59 | 25 | 6,781 | 33 |
| New Jersey | 59 | 25 | 8,218 | 35 |
| Utah | 59 | 25 | 4,578 | 25 |
| Wisconsin | 56 | 24 | 13,807 | 60 |
| Indiana | 54 | 22 | 12,687 | 53 |
| Puerto Rico | 51 | 18 | 2,944 | 16 |
| South Carolina | 51 | 18 | 10,520 | 42 |
| Michigan | 46 | 16 | 9,052 | 36 |
| Wyoming | 45 | 15 | 12,494 | 51 |
| Connecticut | 43 | 13 | 2,622 | 13 |
| Maryland | 38 | 11 | 10,290 | 40 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 33 | 9 | 88 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 31 | 7 | 924 | 7 |
| Delaware | 26 | 5 | 1,475 | 9 |
| Guam | 25 | 4 | 258 | 2 |
| District of Columbia | 24 | 2 | 452 | 5 |
| American Samoa | 17 | 0 | 292 | 4 |
What shapes Alaska's record?
FEMA declaration types in Alaska
Wider bars = more declarations of that incident type
- Fire
Fire
29 declarations
- Severe Storm
Severe Storm
25 declarations
- Flood
Flood
19 declarations
- Mud/Landslide 5
Mud/Landslide
5 declarations
- Earthquake 4
Earthquake
4 declarations
- Other 4
Other
4 declarations
- Biological 2
Biological
2 declarations
- Freezing 2
Freezing
2 declarations
What this shows Fire leads Alaska's FEMA declaration mix with 29 records among the types shown.
NOAA storm events by year
Reported severe-weather events in Alaska, 2015–2025 catalog window.
Peak year in this series: 2023 (385 events). Counts are reported events, not a complete census.
42 /100
Historical Activity Index
Moderate historical activity
Alaska · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite mixing OpenFEMA declaration totals (1953–present) with NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025), different windows and event definitions, disclosed weights on the methodology page . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) High
16/30
94 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.1x state average)
NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025) Low
3/25
2683 NOAA storm events in the 2015–2025 extract (0.2x median state)
NOAA Damage (2015–2025) Low
3/25
Recorded NOAA property+crop damage in the 2015–2025 extract (0.3x median state)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
11 different disaster types declared in Alaska
What does Alaska's hazard record show?
FEMA disaster declarations
Alaska (AK) has a moderate level of federal declaration activity, with 94 FEMA declaration records, including 66 Major Disaster declarations (DR). A DR may authorize Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both; those program approvals are not implied by the DR count. The dominant declaration type is Fire, followed by Severe Storm (25), Flood (19), Mud/Landslide (5). Declaration counts at the state level reflect the cumulative federal footprint: large multi-county events count once per state, but repeat hazard patterns across decades are visible in the breakdown below.
Flood exposure & where to dig deeper
Flood exposure is quantified separately through the National Flood Insurance Program. Policyholders across 15Alaska counties have filed 777 NFIP claims totaling $16.2M, or an average of $20.9K per claim. NFIP data captures only insured flood losses, so uninsured flood damage and storm-surge losses outside mapped high-risk zones remain invisible in this figure. The highest-Expected-Annual-Loss hazard across the state is Earthquake, estimated at $0.7B annually. Drill into individual counties and county-equivalents for localized risk, read FEMA's hazard-specific briefings, and review insurance and flood-zone designations, state-level averages can mask sharp county-to-county differences in exposure and resilience.
NOAA storm events & FEMA National Risk Index
NOAA's Storm Events Database adds the near-term severe-weather lens. Between 2015 and 2025, Alaska recorded 2,683 individual storm events, causing 33 fatalities and 23 injuries, with combined property and crop damage estimated at $147.2M. The most frequent event types in the state are High Wind (709 events), Blizzard (524 events), Heavy Snow (439 events). Across the state's 28 analyzed counties and county-equivalents, FEMA's own National Risk Index flags 1 as high-risk, with an average county Risk Index score (FEMA's own formula, distinct from our Historical Activity tool below) of 35.6/100.
What this count is, and is not. Storm Events is a reported database: NOAA compiles it from National Weather Service offices, trained spotters, law enforcement, and the public. It is a record of what was observed and logged, not a complete census of severe weather. Densely populated areas report more events than sparsely populated ones with similar meteorological exposure, and detection has improved over time, so an event count is not a like-for-like measure of hazard between places or across decades. Damage figures are field estimates, not audited losses. See methodology.
Disaster Types in Alaska
Fire 29
Severe Storm 25
Flood 19
Mud/Landslide 5
Earthquake 4
Other 4
Biological 2
Freezing 2
Coastal Storm 2
Snowstorm 1
Winter Storm 1
Storm Events by Type
NOAA storm event data for Alaska (2015-2025).
| Event Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 709 | 0 | 1 | $8.4M |
| Blizzard | 524 | 0 | 0 | $60.0K |
| Heavy Snow | 439 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Storm | 385 | 0 | 0 | $200.0K |
| Flood | 182 | 0 | 0 | $81.9M |
| Winter Weather | 171 | 3 | 4 | $800 |
| Coastal Flood | 61 | 1 | 1 | $2.2M |
| Wildfire | 26 | 0 | 10 | $2.1M |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 25 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Ice Storm | 23 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Frost/Freeze | 23 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Avalanche | 22 | 10 | 0 | $0 |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 18 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Debris Flow | 17 | 12 | 4 | $35.0M |
| High Surf | 11 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Strong Wind | 9 | 0 | 2 | $1.4M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 7 | 0 | 0 | $28.2K |
| Hail | 6 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 4 | 0 | 0 | $77.0K |
Storm Events by Year
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 247 | 1 | 1 | $21.7M |
| 2024 | 319 | 2 | 4 | $10.8M |
| 2023 | 385 | 6 | 2 | $9.2M |
| 2022 | 332 | 1 | 2 | $18.3M |
| 2021 | 283 | 0 | 1 | $5.9M |
| 2020 | 252 | 5 | 0 | $35.8M |
| 2019 | 143 | 0 | 0 | $8.5M |
| 2018 | 121 | 0 | 0 | $3.6M |
| 2017 | 231 | 2 | 0 | $6.5M |
| 2016 | 150 | 5 | 5 | $203.0K |
| 2015 | 220 | 11 | 8 | $26.7M |
FEMA Disaster Declarations
How the 94 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download all 94 declarations as CSV . Source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
94 unique disaster declarations in Alaska.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4912 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND REMNANTS OF TYPHOON HALONG | DR | Flood | 2026-05-29 |
| 4904 | SEVERE STORM | DR | Winter Storm | 2026-04-07 |
| 4893 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND REMNANTS OF TYPHOON HALONG | DR | Flood | 2025-10-22 |
| 5597 | NENANA RIDGE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2025-07-06 |
| 5596 | HIMALAYA ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-06-23 |
| 5595 | BEAR CREEK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-06-23 |
| 4859 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-01-15 |
| 4857 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-01-10 |
| 4853 | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2025-01-01 |
| 4846 | LANDSLIDES | DR | Mud/Landslide | 2024-11-13 |
| 4836 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2024-10-16 |
| 4767 | SEVERE STORM, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Mud/Landslide | 2024-04-06 |
| 4763 | SEVERE STORM, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Mud/Landslide | 2024-03-15 |
| 4730 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2023-08-23 |
| 5473 | LOST HORSE CREEK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2023-08-03 |
| 4672 | SEVERE STORM, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-09-23 |
| 4667 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2022-08-26 |
| 4661 | LANDSLIDE | DR | Mud/Landslide | 2022-07-26 |
| 5442 | CLEAR FIRE | FM | Fire | 2022-06-26 |
| 4648 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-03-24 |
| 4646 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-03-14 |
| 4638 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-01-15 |
| 4585 | SEVERE STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Mud/Landslide | 2021-02-17 |
| 4533 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-09 |
| 3446 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 5290 | DESHKA LANDING FIRE | FM | Fire | 2019-08-22 |
| 5287 | MCKINLEY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2019-08-20 |
| 5282 | SHOVEL CREEK FIRE | FM | Fire | 2019-06-28 |
| 4413 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2019-01-31 |
| 3410 | EARTHQUAKE | EM | Earthquake | 2018-11-30 |
| 4391 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2018-09-05 |
| 4369 | SEVERE STORM | DR | Coastal Storm | 2018-06-08 |
| 4351 | SEVERE STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2017-12-20 |
| 4257 | SEVERE STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2016-02-17 |
| 4244 | SEVERE STORM | DR | Coastal Storm | 2015-10-30 |
| 5085 | CARD STREET FIRE | FM | Fire | 2015-06-16 |
| 5084 | SOCKEYE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2015-06-15 |
| 4162 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-01-23 |
| 4161 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2014-01-16 |
| 4122 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2013-06-25 |
| 4094 | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-11-27 |
| 4054 | SEVERE STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-02-02 |
| 4050 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-12-22 |
| 1992 | ICE JAM AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2011-06-10 |
| 2909 | MOOSE MOUNTAIN FIRE | FM | Fire | 2011-05-22 |
| 1865 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUDSLIDES, AND ROCKSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-12-18 |
| 1843 | FLOODING AND ICE JAMS | DR | Flood | 2009-06-11 |
| 2820 | MILE 17 EAST END ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2009-05-14 |
| 1796 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-09-26 |
| 2699 | CARIBOU HILLS FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-06-22 |
Showing 50 of 94 declarations.
FEMA National Risk Index
Composite natural hazard risk scores for Alaska counties and county-equivalents based on FEMA's National Risk Index.
Avg County Risk Score
35.6/100
High Risk Areas
1
of 28 counties and county-equivalents
Top Hazard by EAL
Earthquake
$0.7B annual loss est.
Top 5 Hazards by Expected Annual Loss
#1
Earthquake
$660.4M EAL
#2
Cold Wave
$78.3M EAL
#3
Avalanche
$50.0M EAL
#4
Tsunami
$49.8M EAL
#5
Wildfire
$31.5M EAL
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) EAL = Expected Annual Loss. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
National Flood Insurance Program claims across Alaska from FEMA NFIP data.
Total Claims
777
Total Paid
$16.2M
Avg Per Claim
$20.9K
Counties With Claims
15
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
Counties and county-equivalents in Alaska
32 counties and county-equivalents with FEMA disaster data.
Highest-risk counties and county-equivalents by FEMA National Risk Index
Declaration counts above measure past federal action; FEMA's NRI is a composite of Expected Annual Loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. By that separate measure the highest-risk counties in Alaska are Anchorage (97.4), Matanuska-Susitna (93.3), Kenai Peninsula (93.0), Fairbanks North Star (88.5), Aleutians West (67.3). Compare any county's recorded history with the Historical Activity tool.
All 32 counties and county-equivalents in Alaska are listed above.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Learn more about natural disaster risk, preparedness, and data interpretation.
Preparing for Natural Disasters
Essential steps to prepare your household for the most common natural hazards.
Hazard Risk by Region
How natural disaster risk varies across different US regions.
Climate Change & Disasters
How climate trends are changing the frequency and severity of natural disasters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What natural disasters affect Alaska?
Alaska is affected by fire, severe storm, flood, mud/landslide. The state's leading disaster type is Fire, based on 94 FEMA disaster declarations on record.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Alaska had?
Alaska has received 94 FEMA disaster declarations, including 66 major disaster declarations. The declaration history covers several disaster types, including Fire (29), Severe Storm (25), Flood (19).
What severe weather events are most common in Alaska?
The most common severe weather events in Alaska include high wind (709 events), blizzard (524 events), heavy snow (439 events). These NOAA storm events recorded from 2015 to 2025 have caused 33 fatalities and $147.2M in property and crop damage.
How active is Alaska's federal disaster declaration record?
Alaska has a moderate level of historical federal declaration activity, based on 94 FEMA declaration records. This band is not a future-risk forecast. Separately, NOAA storm events from 2015-2025 record 33 fatalities and 23 injuries. NOAA-listed property and crop damage totals $147.2M.
How many flood insurance claims has Alaska had?
Alaska has 777 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims with $16.2M total paid out. The average claim payment is $20.9K, with 15 counties reporting flood insurance claims.
Which counties and county-equivalents in Alaska have the most disaster declarations?
Among 32 counties and county-equivalents in Alaska, those with the most FEMA declaration records include Matanuska-Susitna (20 declarations), Bethel (20 declarations), Kenai Peninsula (20 declarations). Breaking the declarations down by county reveals patterns a statewide total can mask.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only
What this means for Alaska
Matanuska-Susitna alone accounts for 21% of Alaska's FEMA disaster declarations, out of 32 counties tracked statewide.
- The declaration record is uneven within the state: Matanuska-Susitna and Bethel carry the most FEMA declarations. Browse counties
- See how Alaska ranks against other states for disaster frequency and damage. State rankings
- Learn what FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and damage figures do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts and damage totals describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
PlainHazard derives this presentation from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries. Its county comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.