Natural hazards · College

College, AK natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in College comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1980.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is College?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in College to be higher than in 75% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and cold waves.

Earthquakes54%Cold waves20%Wildfire13%Inland flooding11%Everything else2%

By hazard

What College faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

54% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Cold waves

20% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

11% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 9% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 100 years in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherLandslidesStrong windLightningVolcanic activity

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesTornadoesHailHeat wavesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamis

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does College flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in College, from FEMA’s records.

12paid claims since 1980

$116Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19802026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. College isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Disasters that hit College

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Fairbanks North Star Borough shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching College itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into CollegeDeclared for Fairbanks North Star Borough only

Fairbanks North Star Borough has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often fires and severe storms.

Around College

College and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Goldstreammostly wildfiresVery high

Estermostly wildfiresVery high

South Van Hornmostly earthquakesVery high

Fairbanksmostly earthquakesVery high

Chena Ridgemostly earthquakesHigh

Collegemostly earthquakesHigh

Farmers Loopmostly earthquakesHigh

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. College covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to College’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to College. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across College total about $11.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.