87 flood insurance claims·$2.2M paid·5 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 Matanuska-Susitna 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.
25% of Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
65 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 11 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 2012, with 31 claims and $602,023 paid, the year of Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides.
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.
19 federal disaster declarations since 1986, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Jan 1, 2022 |
| Deshka Landing Fire | Aug 17, 2019 |
| Mckinley Fire | Aug 17, 2019 |
| Earthquake | Nov 30, 2018 |
| Flooding | May 11, 2018 |
| Sockeye Fire | Jun 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides | Sep 15, 2012 |
| Flooding And Ice Jams | Apr 28, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
6 since 1996: 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Sep 30, 2004 | — |
| Flood | Oct 1, 2004 | — |
| Flood | Jul 27, 2003 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Jul 16, 2003 | $1.0M |
| Flood | May 15, 2002 | $300,000 |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2001 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Oct 1, 2004. A strong Bering Sea storm pushed extremely moist air into the south central region of Alaska beginning Wednesday, September 29th. Heavy rain and snow occurred over the previous weekend resulting in saturated soil throughout the region. Rainfall of moderate to heavy rates was reported by observation sites in the Susitna Valley south to the Anchorage bowl beginning late Wednesday, September 29th, through late Thurs…
Flood · Jul 27, 2003. Another strong storm moved into northwest Alaska bringing heavy rain into the interior and south central regions of the state. Rainfall amounts were reported at 7.45 inches over a day and a half period at the base of Ruth Glacier. Talkeetna reported 1.78 inches and Hatcher Pass reported 2.34 inches in a 24 hour period. This event occurred 11 days after a previous major flood event that occurred over the same regio…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 Matanuska-Susitna 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.