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FEMA flood zones · Alaska

Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska Flood Zone Map

1 federal flood & hurricane disasters

FEMA’s digital flood map shows no high- or moderate-risk zones in Kodiak Island Borough. That can mean the area was never studied in detail or has no digital map, not that it can’t flood; the county floodplain administrator can say which.

Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.

Coastal high risk (V, VE)FloodwayHigh risk (A, AE)Moderate (X, 500-year)Minimal (X)Undetermined (D)

Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Kodiak Island 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.

How Kodiak Island Borough floods

Coastal flooding and storm surge driven by strong Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska low-pressure systems dominate the flood risk for Kodiak Island Borough. Over the past 30 years, recorded flood hazards consist primarily of coastal floods, storm surge and tides, and general flooding events.

Strong low-pressure systems frequently push water toward the coastline through tight pressure gradients and high onshore winds. For example, a frontal system tracking east across the Bering Sea brought increased surf and raised water levels in July 2022, while a north-to-south oriented frontal boundary produced strong surf and high winds in December 2021. Additional coastal flood events occurred in November 2022 and November 2023 as powerful lows moved through the region.

Residents owning coastal properties, low-lying shorelines, and marine infrastructure should pay the closest attention to these hazards, as severe storms routinely generate high surf and coastal inundation across the borough.

Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.

Federal disasters

7 federal disaster declarations since 1989, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.

DisasterBegan
Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, And RockslidesOct 6, 2009
Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Coastal Erosion And Tidal SurgeOct 23, 2002
Severe Winter Storms And AvalanchesDec 21, 1999
FloodingSep 18, 1995
Severe FreezingJan 15, 1989

Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.

Recorded flood events

16 since 1996: 5 river or area floods and 11 coastal floods or surges.

EventDateDamage
Coastal FloodNov 14, 2023—
Storm Surge/TideJul 23, 2022—
Coastal FloodNov 1, 2022—
Coastal FloodDec 8, 2021—
Storm Surge/TideDec 24, 2015—
Storm Surge/TideDec 27, 2014—
Coastal FloodFeb 24, 2009$10,000
Storm Surge/TideDec 27, 2007—

— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

From the storm reports

Coastal Flood · Nov 14, 2023. A strong low developed to the west of the Aleutian Chain late on the evening of November 13th and moved into the western Bering Sea, eventually moving east into the western coastline of Mainland Alaska by the afternoon of November 15th. Strong winds gusting as high as 77 mph affected portions of the central Aleutians as the low moved to the north while even stronger winds and seas up to 40 feet between the Pribil…

Storm Surge/Tide · Jul 23, 2022. A low pressure moving through the Bering brought increased surf to the Bristol Bay coastline. A tight pressure gradient due to the low brought gusty winds and helped to push the water towards the coastline raising the water levels.

Coastal Flood · Nov 1, 2022. A frontal system tracking east across the Bering Sea at the tail end of October reached the Southwest Alaska as a new low developed along the boundary between November 1st and 2nd and strengthened up until moving ashore near the Kuskokwim Delta. This system brought a multitude of impacts to portions of the region as it headed inland, ranging from minor coastal flooding due to strong onshore winds in portions of B…

Coastal Flood · Dec 8, 2021. A north to south oriented frontal boundary brought periods of heavy snow, avalanche conditions, lowered visibilities, high winds and strong surf from west to east over the course of several days as the front shifted slowly east and developed into a triple point low over the western Gulf. Strong upper level dynamics and a deep moisture fetch made this an impactful storm for southern Alaska.

National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

The zones you’ll see on the map

Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.

Cross-section of a river floodplainDiagram: a river valley. The floodway is the channel and the land beside it; the 1%-annual-chance flood surface (the base flood elevation) covers the valley floor as zone A or AE; a narrow band higher up is shaded X, the 0.2% floodplain; higher ground is X.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXAEFloodwayAEX
  1. A / AE Inside the 1%-a-year floodplain: about a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. AE has a mapped base flood elevation; plain A does not.
  2. Floodway The channel and the land beside it that has to be kept clear enough to carry the flood. Building here is tightly limited.
  3. X shaded The 0.2% (500-year) floodplain, plus some levee-protected and very shallow flood areas.
  4. X Outside both lines. No federal requirement to insure, which is not the same as no risk.

Every flood zone code explained →

Flood insurance in Kodiak Island Borough

If a building in Kodiak Island 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.