244 flood insurance claims·$2.5M paid·1 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
14% of Fairbanks North Star Borough’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
199 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 8 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2008, with 47 claims and $644,339 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
17 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Nenana Ridge Complex | Jul 4, 2025 |
| Himalaya Road Fire | Jun 21, 2025 |
| Lost Horse Creek Fire | Aug 2, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Dec 25, 2021 |
| Shovel Creek Fire | Jun 21, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Nov 5, 2013 |
| Moose Mountain Fire | May 20, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jul 27, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Fairbanks North Star Borough is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.